Mater Familias
by Quatermass
Summary: (AU) Crashlanding on Yardrat, Goku comes across a most unexpected ally, another Saiyan who escaped Planet Vegeta's destruction, and someone with a connection to his past. This ally eventually comes back with him to Earth, ready to defend the world against the Androids alongside the other warriors. But can Gine, the mother of Goku, truly make a difference?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

Ah, _Dragonball_ , the most famous _shounen_ franchise of all time. While not actually my favourite (in terms of action-adventure _shounen_ series, that honour goes to _Fullmetal Alchemist_ ), it still holds a special place in my heart, not least because _Dragonball Z_ was one of the first anime series I watched, knowing it was an anime.

Looking back on it, especially with the help of Team Four Star's _Dragonball Z Abridged_ , one does note a lot of holes and ridiculous parts to the story. But there is a rich mythology, ripe for fanfic-writing. As of this writing, it is the eighth most popular manga/anime series with pure fanfic being written for it, and sixth most popular for crossover fics.

This isn't the first time I tried my hand at _Dragonball_ fanfiction. I initially tried to write a story where Goku remembers he is supposed to be Kakarrot, and how that effects the series (he's still a hero, but a more complex one than in canon). Unfortunately, that went nowhere fast, and there are more than a few out there. Indeed, amongst my favourites is the fanfic _A Saiyan Warrior_ by darksupersaiyan, who has done exactly that, and well enough for me to enjoy the story.

However, one what-if I wanted to look at was, what if Gine, the until-recently unnamed mother of Goku, survived Frieza's genocide of the Saiyans? And what if, at a certain point, she ended up meeting her own son? This work will take _Bardock: Father of Goku_ rather than _Dragonball Minus_ as canon, but Gine will have backstory elements from the latter.

I chose the point where Goku crashes on Yardrat as a starting point for the story. And from there, the canon will change, in small ways and big ones. I'm also mixing in a few elements from _Dragonball Z Abridged_. I certainly think more than a few pieces of dialogue should have been in the canon series.

I wish I could call this work _Dura Mater_ , but I've already used that phrase for my _Silent Hill/Metal Gear Solid_ crossover. So, _Mater Familias_ (meaning 'mother of the family') will have to do.

Anyway, firstly, this is an M-rated work due to violence, language, and sexual references. You have been warned.

Secondly, this work will be heavily annotated as per my usual works. In addition, most of the name spellings will come from the Funimation dub. If you don't like either of those things, the door is there. You may leave now.

Thirdly, there WILL be spoilers for the entire Dragonball saga. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. _Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT_ , as well as so many other iterations of the franchise, are the property of Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release. Otherwise, you'll get a Spirit Bomb to the face.


	2. Chapter 1: The Guardian of Yardrat

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **THE GUARDIAN OF YARDRAT**

In Toki Toki City, the Supreme Kai of Time (who looked for all the world like a young girl with lavender skin and pinkish-red hair, despite being over 75 million years old) spilled coffee on one of her Time Scrolls. She scowled in annoyance, hoping that it wouldn't cause too much trouble to the timelines…

* * *

It was almost unheard of. In fact, Captain Ginyu, the purple-skinned and horned leader of the Ginyu Force, one of the elite squads in the Planet Trade Organisation, was actually grateful for the request from Lord Frieza to come to Namek. They had to pick up some new Scouters along the way, which was good, as their own had exploded upon that… _monster_ coming into being. Ginyu swore the other members of the Ginyu Force to secrecy, which they all readily agreed to. He would tell Frieza once their business on Namek was finished. Then, they could have him help them.

It was so ridiculous. The Ginyu Force, the elite warriors of the Planet Trade Organisation, forced to retreat with their tails between their legs. At least Frieza's request came at the right time to preserve some dignity. But Yardrat was supposed to be a pushover, whose inhabitants' fighters ranked quite low, and whose only advantage were their psychic powers, and their ability to teleport instantly using their Instant Transmission technique.

But they had managed to put up a fair resistance to the PTO troops that had been sent to subjugate them. The Ginyu Force were sent there because they had been itching for a mission, and thought that they could kill time by killing the Yardrat people. But to think that one of a nearly extinct race had survived, and had assumed the mantle of protector of Yardrat.

Ginyu knew that to face this juggernaut would mean his doom if he wasn't careful. The aura around that monster suggested that even using his body-switching would be a bad idea. As it was, he was lucky his men managed to flee before they could get injured by that beast.

Over the intership radio, Jeice said, " _Captain, when do we tell Lord Frieza what we saw back there?_ "

"After the mission on Namek is over, Jeice," Ginyu replied, a little irritably, running at his head. He was getting a headache.

" _I know, sir, but…that aura…that was not natural. Even without our Scouters…I_ _ **felt**_ _it._ "

Ginyu, in order to cover up his own fear, muttered, "Did you piss yourself, Jeice?"

Jeice snorted. " _No, but Guldo did. You know how the little green runt is when his psychic powers are of no use. But sir…even Recoome got scared. And you know nothing scares him, save for Lord Frieza and Lord Frieza's family._ "

Ginyu nodded. Recoome was certainly afraid only of the Frost Demon clan King Cold had sired. So for him to be afraid of someone else…well, it was unheard of. "Jeice, I understand your concerns. Luckily, we will be able to make up for our retreat on Namek. We are to supply Frieza with the latest Scouters, and to deal with Vegeta, who has turned traitor. He will brief us on the details when we get there. Once we are done with Vegeta, then we will tell him what we saw on Yardrat. Hopefully, our completing our mission on Namek will put Lord Frieza in a good mood, because he will not be happy with our retreat. And from something like that, to boot!"

" _Captain…what if it's like the legend? You know, like in the stories?_ "

Ginyu restrained a snort, simply because he could not dismiss the possibility out of hand that Jeice was correct. Instead, he said, "Do not discuss that possibility with the others, and for your sake, refrain from mentioning it in front of Lord Frieza, lest he decide to silence you permanently. You know how he feels about THAT particular legend…"

* * *

Sadly (for them and their employer if nobody else), the Ginyu Force died before they could tell their master, the brutal tyrant Frieza, about what they had discovered on Yardrat. Only Captain Ginyu survived, and being trapped in the body of a frog didn't help matters. The other members of the Ginyu Force fell at the hands of the rebellious Vegeta, though in the case of Recoome and Burter, they had already been defeated by another Saiyan.

That Saiyan had been born under the name of Kakarrot. However, when he was sent to Earth as a infant, and suffered a head injury that removed the indoctrination such children undergo before being sent to other worlds, he would come to be known as Son Goku, the adopted grandchild of a martial artist called Son Gohan. He would remain blissfully unaware of his heritage until his brutal brother Raditz arrived on Earth a year ago, an event that would lead to Frieza being defeated, his body nearly being annihilated by Namek's destruction.

Despite Frieza's efforts and those of his own army, most of Namek's population survived, as did the fighters opposing him. Even Goku managed to escape Namek, if only barely, in a space pod used by Captain Ginyu himself. And he had already achieved something that many thought to be just a legend: he had become a Super Saiyan, a legendary warrior wreathed in golden energy, and with a heart filled with wrath.

Because the Ginyu Force was dead, or else unable to speak on the matter, nobody, not Goku or Frieza had any way of knowing that Goku was not the first Super Saiyan to appear that fateful year…but the _second_.

* * *

In the unlikely event that one would come to visit Yardrat, and ask to see their greatest warrior, one would be surprised to find that said warrior was working as a butcher, preparing meat for the Yardrat, using a variety of sharp instruments to prepare the meat. It would have been even more surprising to realise that said warrior was a Saiyan, not because Saiyans weren't warriors (they were) but they rarely worked as bodyguards. They were notorious as Frieza's savage space-pirates, his shocktroops used as meatshields.

The woman was short for her people, but she towered over the Yardrats, who were diminutive people with bulbous green and blue heads. Her black, messy hair and dark eyes were typical Saiyan traits, as was the monkey-like tail protruding from a hole in her pants. Her slender form wasn't as heavily muscled as many Saiyans, but it had an athletic air to them. Her features were pretty, in a sort of hard way, though she was unusual in that, by Saiyan standards, she had scruples and a sense of honour. Saiyans spoke a lot of honour and pride, but what they did have normally was cruelty and hubris. This woman was the exception rather than the rule. She even had a sense of compassion, of sorts, though that didn't stop her from sending her children off to fight on other worlds. Despite being in her fifties, she actually looked like she was still in her twenties, thanks to Saiyans staying in their prime for decades more than other peoples.

As she continued to cut up meat, one of the Yardrat approached. "Lady Guardian, we…"

"Dammit, Lacrit(1), stop calling me 'lady'," the Saiyan woman retorted irritably. "Anyway, what's the matter?"

"Our sensors have detected another pod ship approaching our world," Lacrit said. "We've just received visual confirmation. It bears the mark of the Ginyu Force."

The Saiyan woman blinked, then frowned. "Hang a moment. Only the one ship?"

"Yes, Lady Guardian."

The Saiyan woman sighed irritably. She wasn't breaking this one's habit anytime soon. "I can't sense much of a power level. And there's only the one ship. Have they responded to any hails?"

"No. We've managed to hack the sensor telemetry from it. The occupant is unconscious but stable, albeit with injuries from a battle. It even notes the species."

"Of course they do. The pods are calibrated to species in case specialised medical attention or life-support settings are needed," the Saiyan woman said. "Why?"

"Lady Guardian…the species from the pod's telemetry…is Saiyan."

The Saiyan woman froze, and then turned around. "Are you certain?"

"The telemetry is very clear, Lady Guardian. Whether it is from damage or hacking, though…"

"All right. When it arrives, I'll be there, just in case our latest visitor is belligerent. Odds are, they are," the Saiyan woman said, putting down her implements, and putting away the meat and the carcass she had been dressing. "I only know of four, maybe five Saiyans who survived Planet Vegeta exploding. Odds are, they're either Raditz, Prince Vegeta, or Nappa. Dunno why they'd be travelling in a pod used by the Ginyu Force, but that doesn't matter. They try anything, and I'll pound them into mince."

* * *

The space pod crash-landed in the middle of the city. Thankfully, the damage was mostly to property, and injury was kept to a minimum. The Saiyan woman arrived a minute or so afterwards, dressed in the traditional armour of a Yardrat warrior. She approached the pod carefully. She could sense the ki of the occupant, and while it was down to a minimum, it didn't necessarily mean they were not dangerous. Even when sensing ki (something the Yardrats taught her, instead of using Scouters), one should not work on assumptions, knowing that some people could conceal their ki, only to ramp it up during an attack.

She peered through the darkened glass of the pod's window, and stared at what lay within. It was as if she had seen a ghost. That distinctive spiky hair, she had only seen on three other Saiyans. Her husband (who was definitely dead), a cousin of her husband (whose status she didn't know(2)), and her second son (who was on some obscure planet, last she knew of). For a moment, she sagged, faltering. Then, she looked again through the window. If he was a Saiyan, he had been in a fight. Blood oozed from wounds, his clothing was damaged, leaving him in ragged remnants of trousers, bruises covered every square inch of his body.

She looked for the emergency release of the pod, designed to allow emergency personnel to extract the badly wounded from pods. She found it, and the hatch of the pod opened up slowly. The metallic tang of blood and the sour stench of old sweat assaulted her nostrils. And now, she got a good look at the Saiyan before her, assuming he was one.

He had no tail, but those things were ridiculously easy to remove. His skin was paler than she thought it should be, but his muscles were something any Saiyan, lower-class or not, would be proud of. His breathing was steady and deep enough to assure her that whatever injuries he had sustained, they were not immediately life-threatening. But the shape of his face, and that hair…

She was almost certain she knew who it was. She gestured for a medic by the name of Stat(3) to come over. "How is he?" she asked. He knew Saiyan physiology, having treated her over the years.

"Severe trauma to much of his body. It's slowly healing, but he'll need medical attention to recover more quickly. His muscles have been under a lot of strain, too…Lady Guardian, there are signs that…well, similar to those you presented when you transformed to fight off the Ginyu Force."

The Saiyan woman blinked. "Wait, what? You mean he's become a Super Saiyan?"

"And very recently too," Stat said. "Within the past few days."

The Saiyan woman leaned forward with a frown, and accessed the navicomp of the pod. "Last destination, Namek. This is Ginyu's personal pod, according to the navicomp. This Saiyan must have defeated Ginyu, or else stolen it right from under his nose." She examined the hull more critically, and noted some damage consistent with being too close to a messy planetary explosion. "Or maybe he was desperate to escape from somewhere about to go kaboom. Maybe Namek. Dammit, Frieza must've had a hissy fit again. Though what was he doing on Namek, anyway? Frieza, I mean."

"Perhaps the legend of the Dragonballs brought him there," Stat said.

The Saiyan woman nodded. There were rumours that the Namekians had magical orbs that, when gathered together, could grant any wish one desired. "It'd be just like Frieza to want a wish, probably for immortality. Anyway, I think I know who this is," she said to Stat.

"You do?"

"Yeah." But before the Saiyan woman could continue, the Saiyan man in the pod stirred, groaning in pain. His eyes flickered open, and focused first on Stat, and then on the Saiyan woman. He blinked in confusion.

"Where…where am I?" he asked, his voice hoarse, apparently from a lot of screaming(4).

"The planet Yardrat," the Saiyan woman said, crossing her arms. "Are you Kakarrot?"

His eyes widened, but the recognition was different to what the Saiyan woman thought it would be. There was a hostility in that gaze that she didn't like. "Where did you hear that name?"

"I was the one who gave it to you, Kakarrot."

"That's…not my name," he said. "It hasn't been for a long time, whoever you are. And if you're here to fight…"

"It shouldn't come to that. If anything, I was worried you were here to fight us," the Saiyan woman said. Then, her toughened façade fell, and she knelt down, and grasped his head. "You've grown up. You look so much like your father, you know. Well, save for the rakish scars. If you're not here to fight, then I'm fine with that."

"No, no, I…I just tried to escape Namek before it exploded, and…anyway, my name, my real name is Son Goku," the Saiyan man said. He then looked at the Saiyan woman, and asked, "Who're you?"

"Oh, Kakarrot…you got sent away to Earth before you learned my name," the Saiyan woman said. "My name is Gine. _And I am your mother._ "

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. Mother and son reunited, and the beginning of something that may very well shake up the status quo of** ** _Dragonball Z_** **.**

 **The details of how Gine came to be on Yardrat, and how exactly she ended up becoming a Super Saiyan, will be revealed later in the story.**

 **1\. In the grand Akira Toriyama tradition of punny names given to characters, I've decided that for my Yardrat OCs, they will have names based on adjectives relating to speed, rapidity, and agility (because of Instant Trasmission). Lacrit, for example, is a modified form of 'alacrity'.**

 **2\. I'm referring to Turles here.**

 **3\. Stat, of course, is a double pun, as it is medical terminology for 'immediately' or 'quickly', so it fits in with him being both a medic and a Yardrat with a 'speedy' name.**

 **4\. I feel sorry for a lot of the voice actors for** ** _Dragonball_** **, in both the official Japanese and English versions, as well as the Abridged Series. With the amount of screaming they have to do 'powering up', they must need to suck down prodigious quantities of throat remedies.**


	3. Chapter 2: Mother and Son Reunite

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **MOTHER AND SON REUNITE**

The next day, Goku was let out of a healing tank, questioned for a time (they hardly believed he had defeated Frieza), and brought to the butcher's where his mother worked. His mother. The enormity of such a concept hadn't quite hit fully home to him. Over a year ago, he had learned that he was an alien, and that his brother was a nasty, brutal bastard who committed genocide to wipe planets clean for sale. And the other Saiyans he had encountered were no different. Vegeta and Nappa were as brutal, and more powerful. And yet, to discover that his mother was a defender of these Yardrat people was astonishing, to say the least.

He wasn't sure what to make of it. He had a nasty habit of showing mercy to his enemies, sure, even if they seemed beyond redemption. But he also knew there was something about the Saiyans, about their brutality as a warrior race. It was astonishing, then, to realise that his mother had gone down a path that seemed, at first glance, not dissimilar to his own. The respect these Yardrat people gave his mother was, frankly, astonishing. He knew the Saiyans had a fearsome reputation in the galaxy, so to have them call her 'Lady Guardian' or 'Lady Gine' was amazing.

Still, he was wary. And more than that, he was anxious. Gohan, Chi-Chi, all his friends and comrades must think he was dead. And there was the fact that Vegeta had ended up on Earth with them. If he was lucky, Vegeta would hold off on conquering or destroying Earth. Maybe Vegeta's death and resurrection had tempered some of the Saiyan Prince's bloodthirstiness. He would have to find a way of contacting Earth…assuming he knew where it was, relative to Yardrat. He needed to find a way of letting them know he was all right. He wasn't sure whether he could call out to King Kai either. He managed to during the fight against Frieza, but he was breaking in on an ongoing conversation, and all other times, King Kai had contacted him. He would have to think about that. He'd try to contact King Kai later, once he knew more about what was going on. He was still very much in an unknown situation, and his head was clearer than it had been for a while.

As he was led into Gine's workspace, he watched as she cut up meat expertly, humming a song gently. He approached as his guide departed, unsure what to make of this. The song sounded very vaguely familiar, buried deep in the depths of his memory. "I'm not going to bite, Kakarrot," Gine said mildly.

"I don't like that name," Goku said.

"A shame," she sighed, rather sadly. "I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what to name you when I was pregnant with you. I named you for an ancestor who was quite the famous warrior." She finished what she was doing, putting away the meat and her tools, before gesturing to a pair of stools. Goku sat down, and so too did his mother. She peered at him thoughtfully, before she said, "It's going to take some time getting used to your new name. There's something about you that's both Saiyan, and very un-Saiyan."

Goku peered at her back (not sure whether to take her words as a compliment or not), and said, "How come you look so…young? I'm twenty-five, I think, and you look like you could be my sister, not my mother."

Gine shrugged. "Saiyans remain in the prime of their life for several decades, assuming we live that long," she explained. "It's flattering, though," she added with a smile. "I'm fifty-odd now, and I still look good. I guess if your father, Bardock, was here, you'd look almost exactly like him without a tan or scars. He'd be proud of you now, judging by your power level."

"My power level? Can you sense ki?"

"The Yardrats taught me how to. I had to abandon my Scouter back on Planet Vegeta when I fled. If I'd kept it, Frieza might have tracked me down."

"…Shouldn't be any fear of that now," Goku said.

"What do you mean?"

Goku, haltingly, explained what had happened. He gave an abridged version of what had happened, starting from when he first met Raditz, all the way up to his battle to the death against Frieza. Gine listened, only occasionally interjecting. Eventually, once he was done, she sat back, thoughtful. "So, not only did you kill, or at least defeat Frieza, but you also put that spoiled bastard of a prince in his place?"

"You're…not upset that I helped kill my own brother?" he asked hesitantly.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, Kakarrot," Gine said after a brief pause. "But…I had a different view to life than many Saiyans. They consider any compassion to another species soft, and while I didn't have much, it was enough to make me stand out. Plus, I was fairly weak by Saiyan standards. Raditz would sneer at me as much as he sneered at you. He didn't give a crap about family. Even Bardock did, but unfortunately, Raditz never took kindly to being called weak by his peers, and sought to prove otherwise by ingratiating himself with Prince Vegeta. And while the King was a brutal warlord, he was more pragmatic than his son." Gine smiled, sadly. "For what it is worth, I am proud of you. Though…you said you became a Super Saiyan while fighting Frieza."

"I did. Well, I _think_ I did. I'm not sure I want to risk transforming here, though. It seems to need a surge of rage to do so, and with all that ki surging forth, well, I don't want to scare anyone, or hurt them. I felt at continual risk of losing control, going into a berserker state. I had to shoo my son away when I first transformed."

"Huh. You said it happened when that friend of yours, Krillin, got killed by Frieza," she mused. "Emotional trauma must press the ol' Super Saiyan button."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Seeing as you told me your story, I should tell you mine…"

* * *

It was by sheer accident that Gine ran into a bloodied and battered Bardock on Planet Vegeta, all those years ago. She had been seeing a friend on a whim, and was heading back home when she found Bardock. When she asked him what had happened, he told her about Kanassa, about the mission on Planet Meat, of Dodoria and his goons wiping his squad out, and Bardock barely surviving.

Her son had already been sent to Earth, and Bardock had tried warning some of the Saiyans about Frieza's plan to destroy Planet Vegeta, only to be laughed at for his troubles. Supposedly, at Kanassa, he had had precognitive powers inflicted on him by one of the natives. Seeing the fear in his eyes, Gine agreed to take a space pod and flee Planet Vegeta, if only as a precaution. Bardock intended to make a last stand against the tyrannical ruler, or die trying (which, incidentally, he did). As it happened, her pod had just reached the safe distance when Planet Vegeta exploded, and she was sent dangerously off-course by the debris and shockwave. She was lucky that Frieza either believed her dead in the explosion, or else thought one pod a trivial matter.

She crash-landed on Yardrat, same as Goku did. The Yardrats were wary of helping her, given that the Saiyans had a fearsome reputation, but eventually helped her out. Through the communications device on her space pod, she soon learned that Frieza had announced that Planet Vegeta had been wiped out by a meteorite strike. Only three survivors had been confirmed: Prince Vegeta, his aide Nappa, and Raditz. She knew that she made a fourth, and her other son made a fifth. She had also heard rumours that Vegeta's younger brother, Tarble, had been sent to a frontier world, but nothing more.

The enormity of what had happened to her planet hit her badly, and she began picking fights with the Yardrat warriors while drunk, hoping to effectively commit suicide by proxy, if only to be with her husband. More than once, she was fatally injured, but healed by the compassionate Stat. And if anything, that only served to make her stronger. The power boost that Saiyans got when they recovered from grievous injuries actually hindered her from committing suicide by proxy, and eventually, it got to the point where if she did try again, she could kill their warriors with ease.

Eventually, Gine recovered from her depression, and resolved to train up. She took on work as a butcher for the Yardrat, but trained with their warriors in her off time. She grew stronger, stronger than she ever had before, surpassing even her husband, even Prince Vegeta. She even exploited the power boost factor from grievous injuries, although not long ago, she hit what seemed to be a plateau in her ki reserves.

A year before Goku arrived, the Planet Trade Organisation became interested in Yardrat. The first invasion force was handily dealt with by both Gine, who used a disguise, and the warriors of Yardrat. As Yardrat was a lower priority to the PTO than other worlds, it was a few months before another force was sent, and they were dealt with too. After more and more frequent invasion attempts, the Ginyu Force was sent to try and subdue the populace. Which turned out to be their biggest mistake.

* * *

Goku frowned in thought. "I fought the Ginyu Force on Namek, and, well, they didn't seem like they had been in a battle before they came to Namek. They didn't even say anything about fighting a Saiyan."

Gine chuckled. "They were scared, scared of what would happen. Frieza recalled them just as I began turning the tables on them. You see, one of my friends on this planet, Kwik, had gotten killed by the Ginyu Force, and, well…I was angry. Far angrier than I had ever been in my life. And that's when it happened, really." She pursed her lips in thought. "Actually, might be better to show than to tell." She stood, and took a hold of Goku's shoulder. "Hang on, this'll be a bit disorienting."

* * *

And suddenly, they were somewhere else. In a desert wasteland, of the sort Piccolo loved to hang out in, Goku thought. And she was right, it _was_ a bit disorienting. "Hey, how did you do that?" he yelped, surprised.

"The Yardrats have a little thing called Instant Transmission," Gine said. "As long as you can visualise a place, or else sense a ki signature, you can transport yourself to that place or person instantly. I should teach it to you, it's quite handy."

Goku, after a moment, nodded. "Okay, it's a neat trick. But why did we come here?"

"Just wanted to show you something, Kakarrot. I want to be as far away as possible from anyone who might get hurt or scared. This is one of the places I train at. And, well, you wanna see something cool?" She closed her eyes, breathed in, and then opened them, emitting a scream familiar to the Saiyan warrior, a scream one emitted while boosting one's ki. The ground began to shake beneath their feet, as if in fear of what was being unleashed. A whirlwind of dust, centred around his mother, began to form, whipping and snarling around her, before suddenly, an inferno of golden ki engulfed her with a very familiar thrumming noise. Her expression was hardened, her eyes, once obsidian, had become green, and her hair was standing on end and golden in hue. The golden ki that had sprung up purled around her like flames.

Goku had never seen his transformation properly, save in brief glimpses of his reflection in the oceans of Namek, in Frieza's eyes, or in the computer screen of Frieza's damaged ship. He caught glimpses of the glowing gold hair and his green eyes, so he knew what he was seeing. But it didn't make it any less easier to believe. "No way…" he breathed in awe, his eyes wide in astonishment.

After a moment, Gine released her transformation, her hair and eyes changing back to their normal colour, the flame-like aura dissipating. She panted slightly, as if she had exerted herself a bit too much. "Still haven't gotten the hang of transforming yet. It takes a lot out of me, emotionally and in terms of ki. Still, sorry to steal your thunder, Kakarrot. Judging by what you said, you're the first Saiyan _man_ to turn Super Saiyan for generations…but I'm the first _Saiyan_ to attain that state for generations."

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Okay, not much of a cliffhanger to leave it on, given that it was easy to infer from what I have written so far, but, well, here you have it, Gine showing she can go Super Saiyan, as well as an allusion to how she got enough of a power level to actually go Super Saiyan. Of course, by this point, both Gine and Goku don't have much control over their transformations, so going Super Saiyan is a double-edged sword. They've only recently attained that state, after all.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Catching Up

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **CATCHING UP**

It was a few days before Goku worked up the resolve to try and contact King Kai. He spent most of that time getting to know his mother. A few days' acquaintance was not that much time to reform a bond that had never fully formed when it should, but, assured by Gine's attitude, which reminded him of Chi-Chi a little, he found himself liking his mother, certainly more than any other Saiyan he had met. In fact, she treated him at times like he was half his age, or even a third, and some part of him enjoyed it. He was never really starved for love and affection under the care of Grandpa Gohan, the man he named his son after, but there was a void, one he had been unaware of, that Gine filled.

As he pressed a pair of fingers to his head to concentrate, Gine remarked, "So, you know King Kai, the Lord of the Worlds?"

"Yeah. Kami, the Guardian of Earth, brought me to train with him after I died with Raditz. I told you about that, remember?"

"Yeah, but, well, it's still a bit hard to believe. You're on speaking terms with a deity. Okay, he's weaker than a Saiyan, supposedly, but even so, a deity." She scoffed. "You've lived an interesting life, Kakarrot."

Goku closed his eyes, and spoke into the void, reaching out for, he hoped, King Kai. _King Kai, are you there? Can you hear me?_

 _…Huh? Hey, who is this? You've got the wrong number, pal._ It was the distinctive scratchy voice of King Kai.

 _No, King Kai, it's me, Goku!_

A brief pause on the other end. _Wait, what? Great, it's a prank call. Ha ha, very funny. I have a very refined sense of humour, and I only find making prank calls funny, not receiving them._

 _No, really, it's me. You taught me the Kaioken and the Spirit Bomb. You've got Yamcha, Chiatozu, and Tien Shinhan up there with you. I went Super Saiyan during the battle against Frieza, and argued with you to stay on Namek_.

Another brief pause on the other end. _…You're alive? You're alive, Goku? Then where the Hell are you?!_

 _A planet called Yardrat. I crash-landed here a few days ago. And you'll never guess who's here._

 _…If it's Frieza, I'm seriously hanging up._

 _No, it's my mother!_

After another brief pause, Goku was privileged to hear a rare event: namely King Kai swearing. _What. The. Fuck? You know what? Gimme a moment, I'll focus my viewing crystal on you. Let's see…Yardrat, Yardrat…need a moment to calibrate, sense the ki, and, oh for crying out loud! Why am I having reception troubles like this with a crystal ball? It's not a_ _ **video**_ _. Oh right, let's see…ah, found you. Oh, and…yep, definitely a Saiyan. You say she's your mother, eh?_

 _Yep, that's right. And she's a Super Saiyan, too. I know, you don't believe it. I barely believed it when she did so right in front of me_.

A sigh from King Kai. _Okay, I'll roll with it. So, it's been…what, a week or so since Namek blew up. Your friends and family made it back to Earth all right, and they're planning to use the Namekian Dragonballs to wish the dead back to life. A Namekian year is only a little over four months, you see. They can use them a couple of times before Shenron can be used again._

 _Is Vegeta staying quiet?_

 _Surprisingly, yes. He's still going to Hell when he dies, though. But he's living with Bulma at Capsule Corp, for the time being, as are the Namekians, or else in capsule houses they've provided. Chi-Chi's all but burying Gohan with study material. Shame. The kid's intellect is pretty good, true, but his potential as a warrior is even greater. If Chi-Chi gently nurtured his intelligence rather than trying to force-feed it fertiliser, he'd really blossom as both a scholar and a warrior. Your friends are worried sick about you, Goku. I'll let them know you're still alive._

 _Wait a moment, King Kai_. Goku thought about it for a moment. Then, he said, _Tell them. Don't tell them about Gine yet, save for Gohan and Chi-Chi. I want it to be a surprise for the others. But tell them I'm going to train with the Yardrat for new techniques. I also need to work on controlling the Super Saiyan transformation. It feels unstable, dangerous._

 _Okay, I'll tell your friends later, but you can tell Gohan and Chi-Chi yourself. I can call them up. Gimme a moment. Oh, and tell Gine that if she wants in on the conversation, just put her hand on your shoulder._

 _Will do_. "Okay, King Kai's been appraised, and he's hooking us up with my wife and son. If you want to talk too, just put your hand on my shoulder."

Gine shrugged. "Okay. Why not? I hoped for grandkids one day, might as well talk to the only one I've got so far." She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. "Okay, now what?"

"Just talk in your mind when it happens."

 _Oh, she can talk out loud if she wants, it'd just seem weird_ , King Kai remarked.

 _So, you're King Kai?_ Gine responded, raising a wry eyebrow. _Your voice is more nasal than I thought._

 _Hey, you try living for millennia with sinus problems!_ King Kai retorted. _Anyway, I'm connecting you guys up right now, though I don't play telephone exchange operator very often_.

Eventually, a familiar voice broke through, that of Gohan. _…Dad? Is that you?_

 _Hey, son!_ Goku responded. _Sorry I worried you guys. Is your mother there?_

 _Damn right, I'm here!_ came the strident voice of Chi-Chi. _You had us all worried, Goku! We thought you got blown up with Namek! King Kai spoke to us, said you were alive and gallivanting off on another world. You come back here right now, and…_

 _Wow, is this your wife?_ Gine remarked. _She's spirited, I'll give you that._

 _Who's that hussy?_ Chi-Chi demanded.

 _For your information, I am Kakarrot's mother, Gine, and you know what that makes this 'hussy'? Your mother-in-law_ , Gine said with a vicious grin. _Pleased to meetcha!_

A long silence on the other end, before Chi-Chi said, _You've gotta be kidding me._

 _Nope, sorry, Chi-Chi_ , Goku said with a sheepish grin. _That's my mother_.

Eventually, Gohan worked up the courage to say, _I have a grandma now?_

 _Yep_ , Gine chirped. _You must be Gohan. Your dad's talked a lot about you. Same about you, Chi-Chi. You've had interesting lives, it seems. And it's a rare person who has the stones to fight Frieza, let alone a kid, and come out more or less intact._

 _So…when is Dad coming home?_ Gohan asked.

 _Son…while I wish I could come home as soon as I can, I can't for the time being. For one thing, the space pod I used to get here got damaged. For another, I have to figure out where Earth is in relation to Yardrat. Another thing is that I'm worried about my Super Saiyan state. I'm only a short way away from becoming a berserker while in that state. And there's also an interesting technique that they use here that I intend to learn. I promise, I will come back before long. Look on the bright side, you two. At least you don't have to wish me back with the Dragonballs. King Kai's gonna let Bulma and the others know, but I want Gine to remain a surprise, so he's not telling about her. I'm just telling you two._

 _Why? Is she coming back with you?_ Chi-Chi asked.

 _I've been talking it over with the Elders of Yardrat_ , Gine replied. _We're going to leave off coming to Earth for about a year or so, hopefully long enough to make sure that we're good when it comes to our Super Saiyan transformations, as well as making sure that the Planet Trade Organisation doesn't try anything. Frieza may be dead, but there's still his father King Cold and his brother Cooler to consider._

 _Wait, wait, hold up. YOUR Super Saiyan transformations?_ Chi-Chi demanded.

 _Well, yeah. Judging by relative times, I made my first transformation some time before Kakarrot_ , Gine said.

 _Woohoo! Girl power wins out!_ Chi-Chi cheered.

 _Anyway_ , Gine said, a little annoyed at the interruption, but soaking in Chi-Chi's praise all the same, _once we're sure there won't be many further incursions from the PTO, or at least nothing that the Yardrat can't handle, we'll head back home. I think King Kai can help us with the coordinates._

 _Oh, so I'm not just a telephone exchange operator, but a SatNav too?_ came the nasal, wry tones of King Kai.

 _Yeah, and you taught me the Kaioken and the Spirit Bomb_ , Goku said. _So you're a great teacher too._

 _Well, flatulence will get you nowhere, Goku, but flattery is another matter entirely_ , King Kai said, snickering at his pun.

 _Dad…I miss you_ , Gohan said.

 _And I miss you too, Goku_ , Chi-Chi said. _When you're ready, hurry back._

 _Yeah_ , Gohan added. _I mean, between what happened with the Saiyans and Namek, I haven't really seen you that much for a long time._

 _Don't worry. At least you know I'm alive_ , Goku said. _Hopefully, when I get back, there'll be no distractions for us_.

* * *

In a hidden lab dug out of a mountain, Dr Gero, as he worked on a delicate bit of circuitry, sneezed. He looked at the mucus covering the circuits, and snarled, "FUCK!"

* * *

And several years into the future, a lavender-haired youth, trying to sneak up on his quarry, sneezed loudly and suddenly. And as the dark-haired young man and blonde woman with similar features and eerie pale blue eyes whipped around suddenly, Trunks murmured, "Aw, crapbaskets!"

* * *

And in an incubator tank, a bubble suddenly snorted out of an orifice in a bizarre, grotesque foetus that could very well have been a sneeze in the nutrient-rich liquid…

* * *

"…so, that's it," King Kai said, having finished explaining to Yamcha, Chiatozu, and Tien after the conference call with Goku's family ended.

"I guess that's one consolation in the matter," Tien said, folding his arms. "So Goku's still alive."

"Yeah. I've got to notify the others, let them know what happened." As King Kai waddled off to do the telepathic transmission, the three dead warriors looked at each other.

"He's got the luck of the devil, hasn't he?" Yamcha asked, a little desolately. "Became a Super Saiyan, survived Namek going boom, and found his mother. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to win the lottery with that sort of luck."

Tien chuckled. "That's probably how they manage to buy the food they need for Goku and Gohan's appetites," he remarked dryly. "With any luck, his mother's less belligerent than the other Saiyans." His face fell into a scowl. "I'm more worried about Vegeta. His ambitions may have been cut back, but keep in mind how ruthless he was. We may have died at the hands of Nappa or the Saibamen, but he held Nappa's leash. And Goku nearly got wiped out by that bastard with the pointy hair and Napoleon complex."

"Do you think he wears lifts in his boots?" Yamcha asked.

"When we come back to life, you can ask him," Tien smirked.

"Do I look suicidal?!" Yamcha demanded, horrified.

"No, that's me," Chiatozu said, with unusually dark humour for the diminutive fighter, given what happened when he tried to take Nappa out with a self-destruction attack.

"Well, at least we'll have less of a wait before we get wished back with the Namekian Dragonballs," Tien said. "Three wishes, assuming they save Krillin until the second summoning, they can get us back in one summoning of their dragon. We still have to wait four months."

"Well, we're still getting trained by King Kai," Chiatozu said. "Might as well make the most of it, huh?"

* * *

In the Son household, both Gohan and Chi-Chi found it hard to sleep. They had, for the past several nights since Gohan returned from Namek, but for different reasons. At the time, they didn't sleep well because they thought Goku dead, perished in the explosion that consumed Namek. Now, it was because they knew he was alive, and while he would not come back for some time, he may come back with company. His own mother. Gohan's grandmother, and Chi-Chi's mother-in-law.

Gohan was ambivalent. After all, shortly after meeting his uncle, Raditz promptly kidnapped him to use him as leverage against his father. Nappa and Vegeta, supposedly part of the higher echelons of Saiyan society, were little better. Nappa was a brute, and Vegeta was an arrogant bastard. So could his grandmother truly be as good as his father claimed? He hoped so. He truly did. He had a grandfather already in the Ox King, and he wouldn't mind having a grandmother. She certainly sounded nice, if a bit rough (there was something about Gine that reminded Gohan of his own mother). And she had praised him for having the courage to go up against Frieza, though most of the times when he did fight the brutal tyrant was when he lost his temper.

Chi-Chi, meanwhile, was wondering whether to be annoyed that her husband was gallivanting off on another world, or glad that he had found some family who wasn't a genocidal maniac. Eventually, she decided to feel more of the latter, though she was still annoyed. At least he had a good reason to stay away, to keep his family and friends safe from this 'Super Saiyan' transformation, whatever that was. Gohan's babbled tales of her husband getting blonde hair like some sort of delinquent punk didn't impress her, though she had no doubt that the power was real enough. She wished that Krillin didn't need to die in order for it to happen, though. The former monk was a good friend of Goku's, despite his obsession with martial arts, and Chi-Chi liked him, as long as he was respectful to her. More so than that old pervert Roshi. Chi-Chi respected the old man as a martial artist, but she didn't think much of his perverted tendencies.

In any case, maybe things might be interesting, and not in a 'need to train up to save the world' kind of way, with Gine here. Plus, the first Super Saiyan in Kami knew how long was a woman. Girl power for the win…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **While it was a bit of a longshot to have Goku communicate to King Kai, I thought this would help fix a bit of canon. Goku was able to break into a telepathic conversation between King Kai, Dende, and Kami. Why not allow him to be able to speak to King Kai on his own cognisance anyway? I also did this to make Goku less, well, thoughtless (to say the least) than in canon, as well as give a reason other than 'I'm training for a year' for staying at Yardrat. I give several good reasons, and aside from the Gine-related ones, they're actually good canon reasons. I'm sure I actually read about the 'staying at Yardrat to protect my family from the Super Saiyan transformation' reason in another fanfic. I'm sure that it is the fic I mentioned at the beginning,** ** _A Saiyan Warrior_** **by darksupersaiyan.**

 **I'm going to timeskip to Trunks killing Frieza and King Cold with the next chapter.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: A Ghost from the Past, A

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **A GHOST FROM THE PAST, A WARNING FROM THE FUTURE**

 _A year and a bit later_ …

Goku snarled. If things went on like this for too much longer, he'd have to use Instant Transmission to get back to Earth, and so too would Gine. He was only holding off because he wanted to get a fix on his friends' ki first. He could use Frieza and King Cold's ki as beacons to use Instant Transmission, but he wasn't sure whether the element of surprise would buy him enough time to launch a successful attack.

And then, another ki, a very familiar one, washed across his senses. Using the intership radio, Goku asked, "Mom, do you feel that ki?"

" _Yeah, I did Goku_ ," Gine replied from her space pod, having finally shaken the habit a few months before of calling him 'Kakarrot'. " _That's a Super Saiyan. Is that Prince Vegeta's ki? Or Gohan's?_ "

"No…I mean, some of it seems familiar, somehow, but it's not either of them, as far as I can tell. Let's hope he or she is on our side. Who could it be, though?"

" _You got me, Goku_ ," Gine replied. " _If we're lucky, they'll deal with those bastards before we reach Earth. Shame, I was looking forward to kicking Frieza's ass. But better they die quickly than wreaking any havoc on the world._ "

Goku nodded. After checking the radio chatter from the PTO, they'd found that Yardrat had become an even lower priority on the acquisition list, and no new adversaries had arrived. Gine made the decision to leave Yardrat, though through Instant Transmission, they could head back there on a moment's notice if someone did show up. Their respective space pods had been repaired (well, Gine's had been ready to go long ago, but she hadn't had a reason to leave until now), and now, they were headed back home.

Not that it had been a wholly uneventful year. Besides learning Instant Transmission, Goku had sparred with his mother, and was actually excited to have someone of equal power to train with. The meditation techniques he learned under Kami and Mr Popo actually helped both of them overcome the problems with the Super Saiyan transformation. Now they could do so at will, remaining relatively serene while in that state. Gine pointed out something that Goku agreed with, though. It was very possible that the Super Saiyan state was not powerful enough to deal with all foes.

As he sensed the ki, he suddenly felt Frieza's ki diminish rapidly. In fact, it felt almost like he was being diced. Then, the ki vanished. A few minutes later, so too did King Cold's. He'd never met the brutal tyrant, and while he missed having a good fight, he was glad his friends were safe. He could start to feel their ki now. Gohan, Vegeta, and Piccolo's ki stood out most.

And what of the mystery Super Saiyan? The ki dwindled, until it felt normal again. It seemed that the mystery Super Saiyan killed Frieza and King Cold. And judging by the way that person moved, and the others followed, they were friendly, or at least pretending to be. There seemed to be little malice in their ki, not like Vegeta.

" _Goku_ ," Gine's voice sounded over the radio, " _I've just done an estimate based on those coordinates King Kai gave us, and I think our mystery Super Saiyan has led them to our landing spot._ "

Goku nodded. "That's odd." He closed his eyes and concentrated. _King Kai, are you there? Do you know what's going on?_

 _Yeah, I saw what happened. Not everything, but this teenaged boy with lavender hair showed up, and turned most of Frieza's men into sashimi with a sword. He then went Super Saiyan, played around with Frieza for a couple of attacks, then sliced and diced Frieza into bits before disintegrating him. Frieza must have been rescued by his father, he was a cyborg by that point. Not that it did him much good, there weren't enough pieces to fill a meat pie after this newcomer was done with him(_ _1)_ _. King Cold tried to trick him into handing over his sword so Cold could kill him with it, but the kid blocked the sword and killed King Cold. Good riddance, I say. Shame he had to finish what you started, Goku, Earth would have only been the beginning of a new rampage. Thankfully, he's gone now. They're waiting near your landing point. This kid seems to know altogether too much, frankly._

 _Thanks, King Kai. Anything else?_

 _Well, he's having a weird reaction to Bulma flirting with him…_

* * *

Trunks was having a decent day until his own mother started flirting with him. Well, she wasn't his mother yet, but she would be. She had started it by saying, "So, I'm gonna throw this out there and say, well, you're pretty damn cute."

Trunks chuckled nervously. "Well, my mother used to say I was a cute kid."

"Oh, a mommy's boy, huh?" Bulma asked with a wry, flirtatious smile. She winked, and purred in a sultry tone, " _I'll_ be your mommy."

Understandably, Trunks screamed. Internally, thankfully, as he had just enough self-control to tamp it down and preventing it from reaching his larynx, but it was a near thing, and his smile became just a touch fixed at the thought of _his own fucking mother HITTING ON HIM!_ It was a relief to hear Krillin asking whether he could have another drink from the fridge he had brought out(2). When he got back to the future, he was going to demand his mother develop some sort of brain bleach, or else give him as many bottles of spirits as she could to wipe out his short-term memory.

The next few hours passed by in agonizing silence. His father was certainly more belligerent than he would have liked, managing to retain an air of menace and anger while wearing a pink shirt. He was grateful when the space pods screamed out of the sky…

Wait, what? Space pods, as in PLURAL? But he thought Goku came back from Yardrat alone! Shit, had he been sent into another timeline entirely? Or did his mother overlook that fact?

They crowded around one of the craters, where the pod opened up to reveal Goku. Just like in those old pictures his mother had. He looked a bit bemused to see them there, though. Everyone was so happy to see him, though.

It was when the occupant of the other pod emerged, however, that things really went weird. She was dressed in a similar manner to Goku, and judging by the tail and mass of black hair, she was a Saiyan too. Only Goku and Gohan seemed unsurprised at her presence. She held off questions long enough for Trunks to ask to have a word alone with Goku. Ruffling Gohan's hair, Goku joined Trunks, and Trunks tried to calm himself, knowing that the fate of this timeline at least rested on his words…

* * *

"Who are you, woman?" Vegeta asked soon after Trunks and Goku were far enough away from them.

"Still haven't changed a bit, have you, Your Majesty?" Gine asked with an acid lilt to her voice when she used Vegeta's title. "Not that you'd know a low-level warrior like myself or Bardock."

"Wait, Bardock?" Vegeta asked, with a frown. He looked over at Goku, and then at Gine, before he laughed. "Oh, I _do_ remember you, actually. Raditz used to bitch about his parents. About how, until my father wed my mother, they were the first Saiyans in several decades to actually get married! You must be Gine, Kakarrot's mother. Raditz clearly took after you more than Kakarrot, in both looks and power level, though even Kakarrot is weak."

"And yet, he managed to reach Super Saiyan before you, an Elite. Does it sting?"

"You shut your mouth, woman," Vegeta snarled. "You were nothing more than a lowly butcher, too weak and soft to even be a warrior! You are a disgrace even to your son's lowly station, you stupid slattern!"

Gine let the anger surge through her, and in its wake, the Super Saiyan transformation. As Vegeta gaped, along with everyone else present (barring her grandson), she remarked, casually, almost as if discussing the weather, "You were saying?"

"Bu-but how?!" Vegeta demanded.

"The Ginyu Force killed a good friend of mine. I had already reached a plateau with my power level. Funnily enough, I reached the level of a Super Saiyan before my own son. So, how does it feel to be beaten by a lower-class warrior, as well as a lowly woman?" She grinned viciously.

The noise emanating from Vegeta could not be considered remotely human or coherent. It was merely a half-strangled expression of impotent rage. Gine decided to let him stew, bringing herself out of the transformation in the process, before bringing her attention to the boy with the messy black hair that reminded her of her own. Definitely a Saiyan, even if he lacked a tail. He was also dressed in Saiyan armour, presumably a leftover from his time on Namek. "So, you're Gohan, eh?"

"Y-yeah," Gohan said. "You're my grandma?"

"Yep." Her eyes went over to a green-haired young woman. "And you're Bulma Briefs, right? I mean, I've heard a lot about all of you, but green hair is pretty distinctive." And a short man with six burn scars on his forehead. "Krillin, right?" On Krillin's nervous nod, she smiled. "Hey, don't worry. I don't bite. Not unless you piss me off." She noted the heavily-muscled bald man with three eyes, and the pale-skinned child-like person next to him. "Tien Shinhan and Chiatozu," she acknowledged. Then her gaze went over to a young man with a scar on his face. "Let me guess, Yamcha?"

"Uh, yeah," Yamcha said. "Wow, all this time, you were alive. It must've been a shock to Goku."

"Yeah. Took me a while to get used to calling him that instead of Kakarrot." She glanced over at the green-skinned man in the wide-shouldered cape and turban, standing a little way away with his arms crossed. "And you must be Piccolo."

"What tipped you off?" the Namekian responded with his typical growl of a voice.

"Well, now that the other Namekians are off Earth with a new home, it'd be either you or Kami. Apropos of nothing, what do you think they're talking about over there?" Suddenly, Goku and the mysterious teenager both went Super Saiyan, the sudden wave of ki washing over Gine's senses.

"This isn't possible," Vegeta snarled. "It's bad enough that you and your spawn have become Super Saiyans before my illustrious self, but this interloper doesn't even look like a Saiyan. And I am almost certain I know who survived Planet Vegeta's destruction."

"And who are those? I know of Goku, yourself, Nappa, Raditz, and yours truly. Any others I missed?"

"My weakling brother, Tarble," Vegeta snarled. "I also heard rumours that Turles heads up a group of space pirates, independent from Frieza and the PTO. No way in hell that Tarble could sire a Super Saiyan."

"Well, Your Royal Anus," Gine retorted snidely, "remember that when Kakarrot was conceived, I was but a lowly butcher, with a power level most would scoff at. Now, both my son and I are Super Saiyans. It's possible, even if unlikely, that your brother is, or has sired, a Super Saiyan."

Once more, Vegeta devolved into incoherent angry syllables. It was one of the most enjoyable sounds Gine ever heard in her life.

* * *

Eventually, the teenager left, flying away, and Goku returned to tell them a horrifying tale. Piccolo, who had heard everything, but vowed to keep some important secret, helped him tell the tale. The teenager was a time traveller of some sort. Three years hence, a pair of Androids would appear at 10 AM on May 12, on Amenbo Island near South City. They were created by Dr Gero, a rogue scientist who had once worked for the Red Ribbon Army, and who wanted revenge. Unfortunately, his creations would go out of control, and by the time traveller's time, most of the world's population had been wiped out.

The teenager warned that even Vegeta and Gohan, who had become Super Saiyans, weren't strong enough to stand up to the Androids. Goku had died of a heart virus shortly before the initial battle, and by the time the teenager had travelled back in time, no fighters were left save for himself.

As much as Gine shared both Goku and Vegeta's enthusiasm for a fight against a worthy foe (she was a Saiyan, after all, and a desire for battle was innate to her), it was tempered by a pragmatism. Facing Frieza one on one was how her husband died. So she took note of what Bulma suggested, and decided she would talk to the green-haired woman as soon as she could.

As Bulma left for her aircraft, Gine intercepted her, and asked, "Later on, once we're all settled, can I ask you for a favour?"

"Well, I guess so," Bulma said. "What do you want?"

"I want your help to find the Dragonballs my son told me about," Gine said. "I have a wish that I want to fulfil."

Bulma blinked. "What is that?"

"I want to wish for my husband to be brought back to life."

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, it seems that not only Gine has been brought back into Goku's life, but soon, so will his father. It's a bit of a sticking point with me that Goku, with his friendship with King Kai and Baba, wouldn't try talking with his biological parents, or even consider wishing them back to life. It's understandable, as all of the Saiyans he meets prior to Trunks (save for himself and Gohan, obviously) are bastards of the highest order, but he seems to disown much of his heritage without having any curiosity about it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the references to** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **, by the way.**

 **1\. King Cold says something along these lines in Episode 33 of** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **to Trunks. Unlike in canon, he's actually upset at his son's death in the Abridged Series.**

 **2\. This scene, where Bulma flirts with Trunks a little too hard (and he starts screaming internally) comes from (again) Episode 33 of** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **. I reckon this is one of the scenes that** ** _should_** **be made canon: it's so in character with Bulma to flirt (unknowingly) with her own son.**


	6. Chapter 5: Family Reunion

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **FAMILY REUNIONS**

Gine's first impression of Chi-Chi, having finally met the woman in the flesh at the Son home, was that this was a formidable spouse for her husband. While nowhere near as strong as Goku, or her own son, or even many of the other fighters Gine had just met, there was a formidable will behind that elegant face (currently marred by a scowl), and she was certainly much stronger than the average human. A shame she was so damned shrill.

When Chi-Chi's attention was brought to Gine, there was a sizing-up between the two women. Eventually, Chi-Chi said, "You look too damned young to be his mother, you know that?"

"Saiyan physiology," Gine said with a shrug. "We stay young for longer. It's so we can fight for longer. Sorry. Nice to meet you anyway, Chi-Chi."

"Nice to meet you too," Chi-Chi said, the tension between them lessening. Not quite vanishing, but certainly less than it was. "You're certainly less of a hooligan than your other son, or that Vegeta."

"I just hide it better," Gine said with a smirk. "I'm not very lady-like by Earthling standards. I may not have been much of a warrior by _Saiyan_ standards, but a warrior I still am, regardless. Besides, Vegeta is a spoilt brat, and Raditz got infected with his superiority complex, on top of an inferiority complex."

Of course, that didn't make the following confrontation when Goku tried to persuade Chi-Chi to allow him to train Gohan. Goku didn't make things any better with his carefree attitude. Gine, having been enlightened to the benefits of a good education on Yardrat, couldn't help but think Chi-Chi had a point, but the truth of the matter was, if Gohan had been able to stand up to Frieza, of all people, then he would be useful.

As Goku sent Chi-Chi flying with a friendly pat on the back that he forgot to reduce his strength on, Gine caught Chi-Chi before she was sent flying through the wall, moving in just the right way to prevent any injury to the bellicose woman. Gine glared at Goku. "Dammit, Kakarrot, be careful with your wife!" she snapped, her annoyance causing her to slip back into old habits.

"Oh, sorry, Mom," Goku said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

As Gine helped Chi-Chi back to her feet, she said, "I know you don't want your son out on the battlefield, but the simple fact remains that he has the best potential out of us all. And from what Goku told me, he is already an academic prodigy. One trains the body as well as the mind. But if these Androids take over the world, where will there be a place for your son to become a scholar?" Then, she whispered into Chi-Chi's ear, "I have a plan that might help stop this anyway."

Chi-Chi looked up at Gine, before reluctantly nodding.

* * *

That night, after dinner, Gine sat in on Gohan studying. She was astonished at the advanced level Chi-Chi had him studying at. That Gohan was finding it difficult rather than impossible spoke volumes about his intellect. As he frowned at an equation, Gine asked, "What do you actually want to be when you grow up? I know your mother wants you to be a scholar, but while I know little of academics, I know they tend to have a specialised field."

"You know, I never considered that. Never really had time to," Gohan said. "Between study and fighting for my life, well, I never really thought about that." After a moment, he actually seemed to think about something. "Actually, what I'd really like to study is ki and how it is generated and manipulated. I don't think there's much study into that here on Earth. Probably was in space, because you guys had those Scouters."

"True," Gine said. "The few scholars amongst the Saiyans were mostly dedicated to that field anyway. It was one such scholar with your grandfather's name who developed the Power Ball, a sort of artificial moon to cause the Great Ape Transformation(1)."

"Hmm. It might be interesting," Gohan said. "Biology and physics put together. I'll see if Mom'll listen. It'll be good to have a goal to focus on."

* * *

The next day, Bulma showed up, looking a little harried. Apparently Vegeta threw himself rather too zealously into his training and had injured himself. She had the familiar, watch-like Dragon Radar in her hand. Before she handed it over to Gine, she asked, "If you do revive Bardock, will he be a danger to us?"

"Goku and I surpass his power now," Gine said. "Besides, Bardock, compared to Raditz and Vegeta, is more of a pragmatist. I know him, he won't cause trouble."

Bulma nodded, before handing over the Dragon Radar. Gine smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Gine, Goku, and Gohan spent the next week or so flying around the world, gathering the Dragonballs. Gine called it a training exercise of sorts, which Goku agreed with. It was unlikely they would come across a serious threat in the process, but it might help to be cautious. Gine also contacted King Kai, and managed to persuade him to make sure Bardock was at the Check-In Station for Earth before they wished him back.

She was fascinated by the crystalline orbs. Orange-coloured, but with red stars inside. Apparently the Four-Star Ball was a prized possession of Grandpa Gohan, and Goku intended to try and keep the ball this time after the Dragonballs dispersed.

Over that week, they found the Dragonballs, and, on finding an isolated field, Goku summoned Shenron. Gine actually stared at the magnificent and massive dragon in awe, its serpentine body curling around the now-darkened sky.

The voice of Shenron boomed like thunder, rolling around the field. " ** _I am Shenron, the Eternal Dragon, and…_** ** _you_** ** _again?_** " Shenron sighed a long-suffering sigh. " ** _Please do not tell me that someone has died._** "

"Um, actually, someone did die, but years ago," Gine said. "My husband, Bardock. If you don't mind, Shenron, I would like him brought back from the grave. Please?" She wasn't normally that polite or deferential, but one, the dragon had actually surprised her and awed her, and two, it paid to be polite to the entity that was going to bring back her husband.

Shenron peered at her, his glowing red eyes narrowing, before he said, " ** _Very well. At least we've got someone different wanting that wish, and polite too. Your wish has been granted._** "

As Shenron's eyes flared, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of them. One with a very familiar explosion of dark hair framing similar facial features, albeit marred by scars. He swayed as he found himself still alive, despite everything. He was even still dressed in armour, despite being disintegrated in the depths of a Supernova attack from Frieza. He looked around. "What the hell? Where am I?" His eyes focused on Gine. "Gine?!"

"We'll talk later," she said, before she said to Shenron, "Hey, thanks Shenron!"

" ** _Your gratitude is noted, mortal. Farewell._** " And in a flare of light, the dragon was gone. Goku kept an eye on the Dragonballs, and just as they flew into the air, ready to disperse across the world, he leapt into the air and caught one: the Four-Star Ball. It faded into stone as he landed on the ground.

Bardock, as Gine was now certain that it was him, looked at Gine. "Gine, who are these people? That damned King Kai and King Yemma wouldn't tell me." He peered at Goku. "Please tell me you're Kakarrot and not Turles."

Goku's eyes narrowed. "I _was_ Kakarrot. I'm Son Goku. You're my father, right?"

"I guess so. Gine, has our son gone native?" Bardock asked.

"So to speak. Still kicked Frieza's ass," Gine said.

"Wait, what? I saw a vision of that, but…" A bitter chuckle wormed from Bardock's throat. "So he _did_ kill Frieza after all."

"I defeated him. It was another Saiyan who killed him," Goku said. "I thought I had killed Frieza, though. King Cold's also dead."

"Good riddance," Bardock remarked. He then looked at Gine. "How many of us are left?"

"Nappa and Raditz are dead. Prince Vegeta's still alive, and still a spoilt brat, as always. He thinks Prince Tarble may still be alive."

"I'm a little surprised you asked to resurrect me, and not Raditz. Then again, he was always a fractious little shit," Bardock said. "Not professional enough. Well, with Planet Vegeta and the PTO down the toilet, maybe it is time to change careers."

"You'd better," Goku said, glaring at him. "I know what the Saiyans did under Frieza. Professional or not, you wiped out entire planets' worth of people. I will give you a second chance, father, but don't expect me to forgive you any time soon."

Bardock rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, slaughter tends to pall when your own race has suffered the same fate. You've got an impressive glare on you, Kakarrot, I'll give you that, and if you managed to beat down Frieza, then you've got the power to back it up. So I won't start anything. So, I have to wonder, why did you bring me back?"

"Two reasons," Gine said. "The first is that I wanted my husband back to life. The second is, well, frankly, we need some help against some upcoming strong opponents, and out of all the Saiyans I could have revived, well…"

"You chose me. Just as well. Those idiots didn't listen to me when I told them Frieza was going to blow up Planet Vegeta. And maybe it was the universe punishing us for our sins." Bardock folded his arms. "Okay. I've got a second chance. We'll use it." His eyes flickered over to Gohan. "Who's the kid?"

"Your grandson, Gohan. He's half-Saiyan, and half-human. And pretty strong for his age."

"A half-breed, and yet strong, huh? Damn, I've missed a lot of things."

"More than you think," Gine said with a smirk. "For example, did you ever wonder how our son managed to beat Frieza?"

"Um, no. I thought he just got stronger and all."

Gine looked at Goku, and shot him a smirk. "On three?"

Goku nodded. "One, two…three!"

The distinctive noise of the transformation filled the air, and Bardock was left gaping at Gine and Goku, a shimmering golden aura around them both, with golden hair and green eyes. But his reaction was startling. Eventually, he said, "So it's true. That dream was true. That's what a Super Saiyan really looks like."

"How do you know? What dream?" Goku asked.

Bardock looked off to one side. "Every night in Hell, they'd send me dreams, or nightmares. They did this to most of us. One dream I had was that, somehow, Frieza's attack sent me back in time, and I defended these people from one of Frieza's ancestors. I…somehow, I went Super Saiyan. Gold hair, green eyes, everything. And I kicked that monster Chilled's ass."

"Chilled? I've heard about him. He was one of Frieza's ancestors millennia ago," Gine mused. "One of my friends told me that Frieza, until he heard the legends on our own planet, that 'Super Saiyans' were just a boogyman of his people(2)."

"Well, he was right to fear us," Goku said, reversing the transformation. Gine did the same.

Bardock looked at them both, and laughed. "My wife, and my son, both Super Saiyans, and the first for centuries! Ha! King Vegeta must be turning in his grave. Oh, wait, he doesn't have one since Planet Vegeta got blown up. Let me guess, Prince Vegeta's not happy?"

"In the same way an ocean is somewhat wet, yes," Gine said with a smirk.

"I don't think he's ever happy, unless he's killing someone," Gohan remarked. "He's scary when he smiles. He licked his lips when he killed Nappa, remember, Dad?"

Goku suppressed a shudder at the memory. He remembered the grotesque way Nappa's body contorted and bulged from the ki blast Vegeta hit him with. His eyes bulged right out of their sockets. And for all of Nappa's evil, he didn't know whether such a torturous fate was deserved. "He didn't react well when I managed to hurt him using the Kaioken."

"Kaio-what?" Bardock asked, before being hit in the face, quite coincidentally, by a bird's droppings(3).

As he wiped it from his face, Goku, while trying to keep a smile off his face, said, "The Kaioken is a sort of instant power-up, where I sort of put my ki under pressure. I tried explaining it to Bulma once, and she reckoned the best analogy is like a nozzle on a rocket. You boost the power and speed and all, but you also can increase the pressure on the rocket, and if you're not careful, it all explodes. It does a number on my body if I hold it for too long, or use higher levels. But it boosts my strength, senses, speed, everything. It was the only way I could keep up with Vegeta or Frieza, until I got the Super Saiyan transformation."

Bardock, having finished wiping away the bird crap, smiled. "Well, sounds like you've got quite the tale to tell, Kakarrot. So, I'm guessing you guys have somewhere I can stay for the time being?"

They all nodded, and soon, they headed home. Of course, this was but the beginning of a new journey. A family had been reunited, and soon, they would fight alongside each other. But a new crisis was to begin, one that could not be solved with martial arts and ki blasts…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, there you have it. Bardock's alive, and is joining the fight against the Androids. There'll be some tension between him and Goku, as Goku is not happy with his father being a genocidal warrior, while Bardock reckons his son is too squeamish to embrace his Saiyan heritage. They're not going to be on bad terms, but Goku will trust Gine more than Bardock.**

 **1\. This was my cheeky little nod to the line from the Ocean dub of** ** _Dragonball Z_** **, where Vegeta claims that Bardock created the Power Ball.**

 **2\. The whole thing about Bardock's dream is, of course, a reference to** ** _Episode of Bardock_** **. I don't consider it canon (few of the movies can fit into canon anyway), but I decided to give a nod to it.**

 **3\. A reference to the 'Kaioken!' 'Kaio-what?' *punch!* running gag in** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **.**


	7. Chapter 6: Bulma's Tears

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **BULMA'S TEARS**

It was a few months later. Bardock had, surprisingly, settled in quite well in the Son household, and while there was still some tension between him and his son, there was also a détente. Goku learned from King Kai that the Kanassan gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it) of precognition had been mostly taken from his father. Bardock was relieved. The only vision he had of any note so far was of some lotto numbers, and while they didn't win the big jackpot, the money they did win helped support the three Saiyans (and the one half-Saiyan) now living in the Son household, or at least their stomachs. Gine even worked part-time in an abattoir.

In terms of training, Bardock was a godsend. Being a little older and more experienced than his son before he died, he had plenty of techniques to teach them, as well as strategies for fighting as a group. Even Piccolo, who came to train with them, was impressed by Bardock's skill. In fact, the main problem with Bardock was his power level: by Saiyan standards, back when Planet Vegeta existed, he had a fairly impressive 10,000. The problem was, his family had surpassed him, as had Piccolo. He would probably need at least one, if not two power boosts from grievous injury in order to catch up. Thankfully, Piccolo had managed to procure a few of Korin's prized Senzu beans. A carefully-aimed Special Beam Cannon and a Senzu bean later, and Bardock's power level had grown enough so that the gap wasn't so bad.

Thankfully, Bardock also picked up the basics of sensing ki easily, despite having relied on Scouters for all of his life. And while he still had a Saiyan's pride, he also had no inferiority complex like Vegeta or Raditz did. He certainly had less of the hubris. And in any case, he found it fitting that his own family had surpassed him. He had seen his son confronting Frieza in his visions of the future, just before his death. He was proud of his son and wife, and hoped that the next Super Saiyan would be either himself, or his grandson.

Gohan, having had the idea of ki studies as a field of study, actually talked to his mother about specialising his studies to that effect, namely looking into biology and physics. Chi-Chi was surprised that her son had a specialisation in mind, and given how he laid out what he needed to study in order to do it right, she actually thought it was a good idea. Up until now, she had been throwing textbooks and general subjects of an advanced nature at him, and seeing what stuck.

It was one night that things changed. The night when Bulma came over, crying…

* * *

The Son family had just finished their dinner when they heard the roar of a jet-copter approaching. Goku looked outside, before his eyes widened. "Bulma! She's here! But…why?"

As the aircraft powered down, Bulma all but stumbled out of the cockpit, staggering towards the gathered Son family. Goku could be considered dense in many regards, but Bulma was his first friend, and he knew she was immensely upset rather than injured. Her ki was in turmoil, with even her minuscule amount roiling and boiling like a hurricane in miniature.

"Bulma, what's wrong?" Goku demanded. "Are you all right?"

Bulma shook her head mutely, and Chi-Chi and Goku led the green-haired woman inside the house. They led her to a chair, and sat her down. Chi-Chi then said, quietly, to Gohan, "Gohan, go to your room and study. We need…"

"No, keep him here, Chi-Chi," Bulma said, her voice thick with emotion. "He was there for me on Namek. I trust him. I…I just didn't know where to go, save for here, or Kame House. And I'm not sure I want to see Roshi as I am now."

"Do you want tea? Coffee?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Water will do fine. I'd get drunk, but…" Bulma left it in the air. But both Gine and Chi-Chi, with unerring instinct, realised what she meant. Gine went to her, and gently placed a hand on Bulma's abdomen.

"You're pregnant," Chi-Chi said, not needing confirmation. "Did Yamcha say something to hurt you? I thought you hadn't been seeing him lately…"

"No," Gine said, concentrating on the faint ki signature within Bulma's womb. "It's part-Saiyan, this signature. And unless I'm wrong about my son and husband, it's Vegeta's, isn't it?"

Bulma nodded. "I…I was lonely. And he was surprisingly gentle. I had been tending to him, you see, after he got injured training. We had a few, well, dates you could call them, then one thing led to another, and…well, when I found out I was pregnant, we got into a bad argument. He said some very terrible, hurtful things, before he took one of the spaceships and left Earth for training. I didn't know what to do. I needed to get away from Capsule Corp for the moment."

"And you came here?" Goku asked.

"You're one of my oldest friends, Goku. And frankly, I need somewhere that was normal, and quiet. Kame House may be quiet, but Roshi can't be considered normal. I mean, even though four of you are Saiyans, this feels more like a normal place. Like a family. I mean, I could have visited Tights, but…"

"Tights?" Goku asked.

"My older sister. She's got her own career as a science fiction writer(1). But…I just needed to go somewhere quiet and remote. I thought you might understand what I'm going through, Chi-Chi, having had Gohan."

Chi-Chi nodded. "So, you're definitely having the baby?"

"Yes. It's not Vegeta, not by a long shot. Even so, I don't have a husband to help me raise the baby. I mean, I'm rich enough to afford a child, but…one thing I'm worried about is, what if it turns out like Vegeta? What if I'm not a good enough mother?"

Goku looked thoughtful, before he said, "Bulma, before I tell you anything else, do I have your word not to say anything about it to anyone else until the time comes?"

"Uhh, yeah, okay, Goku. Why?"

"Because it's vital. As in 'end of the world' vital. What were you thinking of calling the baby, anyway?"

"If it's a girl, Bra. If it's a boy, Trunks."

Goku smiled, before saying, "It's a boy."

Bulma, and the others, looked at him. It was Gohan who realised what he meant. "You mean that kid who killed Frieza…that's Vegeta and Bulma's son?"

"From the future," Goku said. "I didn't say anything before because it might prevent his conception, but that guy who warned us about the Androids is Trunks. Your son, Bulma. And you saw what a fine young man he was."

Bulma looked shocked, before a big smile split her tear-streaked features. "Oh, you're right! Oh, he grows up to be a fine, strong man, and handsome too. I…" Her face fell. "Oh, _no_ ," she groaned in utter dismay.

"What?" Gine asked.

"I solicited my son for sex," Bulma said in a flat, dazed tone(2). Bardock suppressed a chuckle when Gine glared at him. "No wonder he looked askance at me. If he does come back, I'm going to apologise to him." Shaking the rather grotesque thoughts from her mind, she said, "Well, I'm glad to see he grows up to have none of his father's selfish asshole genes."

Goku smiled. "He is a fine young man. And this one will be, I guarantee it."

* * *

Bulma stayed overnight in the Son household, though not before leaving her father a message to say where she was staying. The next morning, Gine and Bulma were walking around the house. "I remember when I first came here," Bulma said. "I was only 16, Goku was only 12. I pretty much roped him into helping me find the Dragonballs, all to try and get a boyfriend with a wish. He was a very eccentric kid. Dunno how much of that was his adoptive grandfather's influence, and how much of it was the head injury that got rid of his Saiyan programming. Well, most of it. He loves a good fight as much as the rest of you seem to. That, and food."

"He values you as a friend, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, I wish I snagged him after that Tenkai'ichi Budokai when he defeated Piccolo. I mean, he's a bit of an idiot at times, but he's got a far better soul than any other guy I've met. Chi-Chi's a lucky woman." Bulma looked up to the cloudy sky. "Whereas I've been rather unlucky. Yamcha's eyes wandered too much, and Vegeta…well, the less said about him, the better. I don't really know that many half-decent guys."

Gine nodded. "I was lucky myself to have met Bardock. By Saiyan standards, he is…what you would call professional. He fights for satisfaction, not for glory and bloodlust. And, well, by Saiyan standards, I was weak, though judging by the power level of most Earthlings, even then I would have kicked a lot of ass. But I also had compassion. Not much, not by your standards, but those we conquered so ruthlessly, I felt pangs of pity, and of conscience. That's one of the reasons I worked as a butcher on Planet Vegeta. I didn't have it in me to be a warrior. I think Goku got some of that from me. He gives his enemies second chances. Which is why I wanted to talk to you about something. I will have to tell Goku about it later, but I wanted to work it out with you first."

"What do you mean?"

"You were right when it came to the Androids. We need to find some way to stop Dr Gero from creating them, or at least finishing them. We're training to stop them, true, but…I don't quite share the same desire for a battle as my son does."

"But…why not use the Dragonballs?" Bulma asked. "Why did you use them to revive Bardock?"

"I was being selfish, and besides, backup's good. Bulma, do you know much about Dr Gero? Goku told me about the Red Ribbon Army, but he said he didn't remember a Dr Gero. He knew of a Dr Frappe, and a couple of Androids, one of whom he befriended."

"Yeah, Android 8. Well, Dr Gero is apparently a pioneer in robotics and cybernetics, and a former protégé of the infamous Dr Wheelo. There were rumours he was in the Red Ribbon Army, but it couldn't be proven until after the fall of the Red Ribbon Army, and the authorities found records at the HQ. Not only was he its chief scientist, but he was also one of its founding members and financial backers. I did some research on Gero after Trunks delivered his warning, though I heard some of it. I actually called up Dr Frappe, and apparently Android 8 was a collaboration between him and Dr Gero."

"Anything else, like where he is now?"

"There are rumours that Dr Gero has his own laboratory hidden in the mountains north of North City," Bulma said, her lips pursing in thought. "If they are, searching for his lab would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. The authorities have been after him for some time given his role in supporting the Red Ribbon Army. He'd probably have heavy shielding to prevent anyone from detecting what he is doing."

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing," Gine said. "Once everything's settled, I'm taking Goku, Gohan, and Bardock, along with Piccolo, to find the lab. It's just as well Vegeta's left Earth, he'd be angry at having the chance to fight the Androids taken from him. Hopefully, we'll be able to stop him before he can create the Androids, or at least wake them up." As she looked to the sky, she suddenly scowled in realisation. "Dammit, Trunks!"

"What?"

"Your son…he should have given us a photo or a description of the Androids. Gero might have created several of them, and only two would be active in his timeline. It'd help if we knew who or what to look for." She shook her head. "Never mind. It's just as well he warned us in the first place."

"He probably grew up in a nightmare, if what he claimed is true. I think Trunks can be forgiven for having other things on his mind," Bulma said.

Gine nodded, acknowledging the point. When she came to think about it, Planet Vegeta hung under the same pall of fear, not that any Saiyan would dare acknowledge it. After all, they had all those worlds to gleefully plunder for the Planet Trade Organisation. But there was that knowledge that, as strong as King Vegeta was, he was but an ant compared to Frieza, who towered above them all like a god. Or, more correctly, like a demon. And it took very little for Frieza to decide to wipe them out in a fit of paranoia.

A shame he died at the sword of Trunks, Gine reflected. She would have shown him the true meaning of fear before he died. She would therefore have to make sure she showed the same courtesy to Dr Gero…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **This chapter was one I thought of for another fanfic, but never penned. I wanted to have a scene where Goku comforted Bulma when she had just become pregnant with Trunks, after a bad spat with Vegeta. The whole thing about Dr Gero being tracked down before the Androids Saga proper began was something I also considered for that work.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Mangahero18** **: Yeah, I think Sean Schemmel did pass out after doing the screaming for the Super Saiyan 3 transformation. Wouldn't be surprised if Masako Nozawa suffered something similar. And, of course, there's poor Vic Mignogna and his voicing Broly…**

 **coduss** **: It probably won't be an issue in this story, if only because the Supreme Kai of Time would have to admit that she made a mistake. Given what I read about her, I don't see that happening any time soon. It was really something I added to try and give a slight explanation for Gine's escape from Planet Vegeta. Roll with it, it's a non-issue.**

 **Gabriel Herrol** **: I didn't know that was a time limit, but let us assume that King Kai and Kami arranged things to bend the rules a little.**

 **jgkitarel** **: He doesn't. He's glad to be with his wife again, and is more interested in testing himself against various opponents now that Frieza and Planet Vegeta are gone.**

 **Guest** **: Goku is more wary rather than hostile. They're not on really bad terms, Goku's just letting Bardock know that he stands for different principles to his father. As for bashing Vegeta, Vegeta, frankly,** ** _deserves_** **a lot of bashing. So bite me.**

 **1\. Tights is seen in** ** _Jaco the Galactic Patrolman_** **, and is Bulma's older sister. She's actually seen in** ** _Super Dragonball Z_** **as well, apparently.**

 **2\. Yet another reference to** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **, from when Bulma realises Future Trunks' identity, and realises what she did. Krillin promptly starts laughing at her.**


	8. Chapter 7: The Androids

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **THE ANDROIDS**

It took some persuading to get Goku to agree to this. Gine had to sigh a little in exasperation as they were flying through the mountains of North City. He may have turned his back on the bloodthirsty legacy of the Saiyans, but Goku still had a desire for battle, a sort of pure want for strong opponents to test himself against rather than to conquer. It was Gine pointing out the potential for collateral damage should Gero complete the Androids that persuaded Goku and Bardock to go through with this plan. It was almost like seeing a child being told that they were grounded, seeing Goku's reaction.

There were five of them in the search group, currently scattered across the mountains. Goku, Bardock, Gine, Gohan, and Piccolo. Gine had asked Piccolo whether Kami had any idea of where Gero's lab was, and after going to consult his other half, Piccolo learned that, while Kami didn't know the exact location, he could narrow it down significantly.

It still meant a few hours' search before Gohan found what could be the entrance to the lab, a cave that seemed to have metal doors inset within. Metal doors had no place in a cave, having no way to form via geological processes, or at least that's the way Gohan, with a surprising amount of snark for a kid his age, put it. He had raised his ki high enough to be a beacon to the others, and they soon came his way.

Bardock peered into the cave. "I don't see any surveillance devices," he murmured, suspicious. "No cameras or anything. I've busted down a lot of bunkers for the PTO, and usually they have some sort of surveillance device to see if they have visitors."

"Why are you worried about that?" Goku asked.

"Because, Kakarrot," Bardock said (having not shaken the habit of calling Goku such), "should we march right up there, he'll see us coming, and if there are any Androids he can activate, he'll try to activate them as soon as he could see us."

"In which case, he may have seen us already," Piccolo said. "He may have such devices viewing outside this cave, in case of potential intruders."

"I don't think we can break down that door by brute strength either," Bardock mused. "That door looks like only a ki blast would affect it. It could probably stand up to a nuclear weapon unless it was at point-blank range." A ball of spinning blue ki coalesced around Bardock's fist. "Let's do the polite thing, and knock."

* * *

When the smoke cleared from Bardock's Riot Javelin destroying the door, they saw three people in the laboratory. The old man with a cruel-looking face, a mane of white hair and a thick moustache was apparently Dr Gero, especially as Gine had gotten the most recent photo of the man from Bulma. He wore trousers, shirt, and a vest that made him look like a doctor out of some Wild West setting. All he was missing was a wide-brimmed hat. He was holding what looked like some sort of remote control.

The other two seemed to be siblings, with similar features, and similar icy pale blue eyes. The young man had black hair, with a black shirt, jeans, and a bandanna around his neck. The young woman had blonde hair, black shirt and tights, and a denim vest and skirt. Gine hoped beyond hope that these two weren't the Androids. Something told her that this was the case: she couldn't sense their ki, even though she could sense the minuscule ki of Gero right in front of them.

As Gero gaped, and the Androids looked on with bemused interest, Bardock decided to get macho, putting a fist into a hand. "Sorry 'bout that, I knocked too hard. You ordered a takeaway delivery? Whoopass servings for one, sorry, but we could stretch it for three."

Gero found his voice. "H-How did you…how did you find me?!"

"Trade secret," Gine said. Still, this might be a disaster, she thought privately, trying not to panic. If those were the Androids, then she had just brought her family to them without enough training. There was no way of telling their power level if you couldn't sense their ki.

"Hey, Doc," the young man said, "when you said we were to kill Son Goku, you never said there'd be two of them. Kinda confusing, though one's got a scar or two, and one hasn't. Has he got an evil twin or something? And if so, which one is which? I'd choose scarface as the evil twin, but I don't want to prejudge."

"17…18…" Gero said, pointing at Goku and the others. "Your targets are right there. Exterminate them!"

"Hold up a moment, Doc," the young man said, holding a finger up in the air. "We've gotta work on these trust issues, don't you think? I mean, you kidnapped me and my sis, turned us into cyborgs…"

"Don't know why you insist on calling us Androids," the young woman said pointedly with a roll of the eyes.

"Silence!" Gero bellowed. "I gave you an order!"

"And you're doing _very_ well," Gine remarked acidly.

"You stay out of this, whoever you are!" Gero frowned, as if realising something. "Who are you, anyway? You must be a Saiyan with that tail."

"I'm Gine, that scarred fellow is Bardock, we're Goku's parents, and we take umbrage when someone wants our family dead," Gine said with a grin.

The young woman smirked. "I _like_ her."

"That's irrelevant! 17! 18! You have your orders! Kill them!"

"I dunno," the young woman said, walking around to a containment pod. "Five against two? I'd like to even up the odds a little. Why not let this one out to play?"

Gero saw where she was walking, and snarled, "Because, 18, he isn't finished!"

18, the female Android, scoffed. "My bullshit meter is going 'ding'," she snarked. "I mean, seriously, Goku, his family, and Piccolo are here. You can either deactivate us and face their wrath on your lonesome, or else let us open this can of whoopass. At the very least, he can be ki blast fodder."

"Don't you **dare** talk about Android 16 like that!" Gero snarled. But as he was distracted, quick as a flash, 17 snatched the remote from his hand, and crushed it viciously, smirking at his creator.

"You're not giving the orders anymore, Doc. Lazuli, bring him out. At the very least, we might have a new friend."

Piccolo looked at the others. "Should we allow this?"

17 looked at the Namekian. "I don't think you have much of a choice. The good Doctor there's already turned us into his tin soldiers. I'd beat the crap out of the lot of you if you decide to interfere. Just stick around, watch the show. Hey, if we're feeling nice, we'll just fight Goku, not kill him. I mean, it gets monotonous and boring having the old fart witter on about killing Goku. Where's the fun in just killing him?" Noticing Gero moving to a lab bench with drawers, 17 moved. As Gero tried to bring something out of the drawers, 17 slammed the drawers shut, viciously. The crack of bones breaking echoed through the lab, Gero's screams heralding the opening of the capsule containing Android 16.

The massive form of a muscled man, dressed in a black bodysuit with green armour over it (complete with Red Ribbon logo), stood up, and stepped out of the capsule. His hair was a red Mohawk. His expression was impassive. His gaze swept over the occupants of the laboratory, his eyes narrowing as he saw Goku. However, he made no move or comment.

"Hey, can you talk?" 18 (had 17 called her 'Lazuli'?) asked the burly Android.

16 merely turned and looked at her. Eventually, he said, in a deep, vaguely mechanical tone, "You are a cyborg-type Android. What is your designation?"

"Well, the old fart called me 18, that cocky idiot with the black hair is my brother, whom Gero dubbed 17, we've got Son Goku and his family breaking and entering, and we thought you'd be good backup. You want to play?"

"I will only fight with Son Goku," 16 rumbled.

Gine looked over to Gero, who was cradling his crushed hand. "Wow, you really had something against my son, didn't you?"

"You can't be his mother!" Gero yelped. "I thought there were currently only two living survivors of Planet Vegeta's destruction. That's what my surveillance revealed!"

"Wow, Doc, you done goofed," 17 remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"According to my sensors, there are three full-blooded Saiyans present," 16 said. "The scarred one resembles Goku to a strong degree, suggesting a similar familial relationship."

"Yeah, I'm his father," Bardock said, with a grin.

"Gohan, stay with me," Piccolo said. "This is going to get ugly."

"Oh, trust me, it is," 17 said. "Sis? If 16 wants to take on Goku, who do you want to try your luck against?"

18 pursed her lips, thinking about the matter. "His mother."

"Huh. Well, I get to play with the leftovers," 17 said with a shrug.

"Trust me," Piccolo said, removing his weighted turban and cape, "you need more greens in your diet."

"Duly noted, Big Green(1)," 17 said with a smirk, before lunging forward, his first blow sending Piccolo right out of the cave. 17 did the same to Bardock, before flying after them. 18 and 16 darted forward, grappling with their respective targets, leaving Gohan alone in the laboratory with Gero.

"Dammit," Gero snarled in pain and frustration. "All that work on those two reprobates, wasted!"

Gohan glared at Gero. "You wanted my father dead! You were part of the Red Ribbon Army! And they wanted to conquer the world! How is any of that a good thing?"

"I don't want to listen to the moralising bleats of a miscegenous freak!" Gero sneered back. "You know nothing of the joys of discovery, of bending nature to your will! Of creating the ultimate beings! I am trying to shape the future!"

"You're trying to destroy it," Gohan retorted, before walking over to the drawer, and opening it up, to find a remote control like the one Gero had tried to use earlier. "Will this stop the Androids?"

After a moment, Gero nodded. "All three of them. It's the only thing that can." He sneered contemptuously. "You'd better hurry, Son Gohan. Android 16 is the most powerful of my creations, and he is designed specifically to kill your father. He may not be ready quite yet, but I don't think your father is, either. For all I know, 16 has destroyed him utterly. And you'll be next."

"Maybe," Gohan said, before grabbing Gero's arm. "You'd better hope he hasn't…because I'll drop you if he has." And with that, he flew out of the laboratory, dragging a protesting Dr Gero with him. He was damned if he was going to leave the evil scientist alone in the lab, in case there were any more surprises in store…

* * *

Gine, soon after 18 pulled her out of the laboratory, went Super Saiyan. 18's surprise was just the window needed for Gine to headbutt the female Android, and a quick glance to where Goku was showed that Goku used the same thing to surprise 16.

"What the hell did you just do?" 18 asked, wiping her bleeding nose. "Gero's data hasn't got anything on you turning blonde!"

"It's called the Super Saiyan transformation," Gine said, rubbing her forehead. "You've got a hard head, you know that? Did Gero use titanium or something for your skull?"

"I don't know, and I much less care," 18 snarled. "That old bastard kidnapped us and turned us into his personal Goku-assassins. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having this power, but having him trying to indoctrinate us got old real fast."

"So, what, you don't want to kill Goku?"

18 shrugged. "Dunno about 16, but I'd rather test my power against him. As 16's got dibs, though, I'll have to settle for you." Suddenly, she surged forward, sending Gine flying through the air with a vicious punch to the head. Gine plummeted to the forest below, digging a huge crater into the ground.

Gine recovered in time to dodge another attack. But 18 kept her on the defensive. Even in her Super Saiyan state, Gine couldn't match her speed and strength. But there was one thing she could use. Just as 18 raced forward to kick her, Gine used Instant Transmission to appear behind her. She sent 18 flying with a ki blast, screaming, "Tollsha Wave(2)!"

18 was sent flying through trees, her clothes smoking, before she suddenly vanished in a burst of super-speed. Gine, immediately, took to the skies again. It might buy her some time, and hopefully, the Android wasn't used to three-dimensional combat in mid-air. She looked at Goku and 16. Goku was losing, badly, despite being a Super Saiyan. 17 was holding his own against Piccolo and Bardock, but they were not as endangered as Goku was against 16.

The momentary distraction almost cost her, as 18 surged up from the forest, and Gine dodged out of the way. 18 scowled slightly, patting down her now slightly torn clothes. "I _liked_ this outfit."

"Can't you get more at a store or something?" Gine asked. As 18 lunged, Gine used Instant Transmission to appear behind the Android, and sent her flying with a kick into 16. 16, however, caught his fellow Android in a way that suggested concern.

"Give it up!" Goku said. "I don't want to fight you!"

"But I am programmed that way," 16 replied simply, before he dashed forward, only to suddenly spasm, his eyes wide, before plummeting to the ground. So too did 17 and 18.

Gine whirled to find Gohan, holding a remote control in one hand, and the arm of Dr Gero, attached to the rest of him, in the other. "I think they call that the nick of time," Gohan said with a shaky smile.

* * *

After some debate as to what to do with the deactivated Androids, along with Dr Gero, they decided to take them back to Capsule Corp. Thankfully, they had few injuries, nothing that needed healing with a Senzu bean, just some fatigue and bruising. Bulma was startled that they had managed to capture not one or two, but three Androids, along with Dr Gero himself! She would notify the authorities, who would soon take the rogue roboticist away, as well as investigate the laboratory.

After some analysis and examination of how they worked, Bulma extracted the self-destruct bombs from within them, and then reactivated them, albeit with their bodies cut off. They could only speak, see, and hear. It was Goku who particularly petitioned for this, though the others noted that 17 and 18 were victims of Gero.

"Hey, what gives?!" 17 snarled from the table he was on. "Why can't I move?"

"Because I'm a genius," Bulma said, a little too smugly. "Anyway, listen up. I just removed those self-destruct bombs from you. I would have taken you guys apart, but Goku wanted to give you an offer, I think. Personally, I reckon he's mad, but still, I'd listen to him, because frankly, he's the only chance you guys have of staying alive."

16 looked at Goku, before saying, "What do you want?"

Goku looked pensive for a moment (which wasn't like him), before saying, "I know 17 and 18 got a raw deal. You got turned into Androids because Gero wanted revenge on me. I'm sorry about that. And 16, I met Android 8, and he was a great guy. Do you really want to kill me?"

"It is in my programming," 16 said flatly. "It is all I have ever known, Son Goku."

"…Don't you have any wants or desires of your own?" Goku asked.

"…Peace. I like to watch birds," 16 admitted.

"Well, I like peace too. I like to test myself against strong opponents. You were pretty damn strong, 16."

"I have to be. I was created to kill you."

"Yeah, but…how would you feel to being my sparring partner? I can use you to get stronger than ever, and you can do your birdwatching and what you want instead of staying in a capsule all the time," Goku said. "And you know, you could defeat me in a spar, and that would count, right? And then, well, I'm one of the strongest on Earth. If someone kills me, there's fewer people to keep things peaceful."

16 considered this, before closing his eyes. "Your logic is…acceptable."

18 rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. So, what, if we hop on the peace and harmony bandwagon, you don't kill us? Kinda unfair, seeing since you have us over a barrel."

"Well, we won't put you into a box like Gero did," Goku said. "I don't want you killing innocent people, that's all. And you're pretty strong. I'd be glad to have you guys watching my back instead of using a ki blast on it."

"Besides which," Bulma said, waggling the remote meaningfully, "I've already made some duplicates of this little baby. Just as an insurance policy. Goku's shown you the carrot, this is the stick. As long as you're not going to cause death and destruction, I won't use it."

17 sighed. "She's got a point, sis. Whaddya reckon?"

18 sighed too. "Yeah, why not? Better than being cooped up with Dr Gero and his 'kill Son Goku' fetish. Old fart should have gotten a better hobby than making Androids. Like origami. Or collecting manga."

"Okay," Bulma said. "I'm going to release you guys. Play nice."

The three Androids suddenly were able to move again. 16 looked at Goku, before he said to Bulma, "Do you have an aviary?"

"Yeah, I'll take you there in a moment."

17 worked his neck, as if trying to get rid of the cricks in it. "It's never nice waking up from a forced deactivation. Still, at least you're not being as pissy about it as Doc. Anyway, guess I should introduce myself. 17's just the number the Doc gave me. I'm Lapis."

"And I'm Lazuli," 18 said as she got up.

Goku grinned. "Nice to meet you guys!"

Gine looked on with a smile of her own. If they were very, very lucky, then they had just dodged a bullet, a very big one. They'd just managed to prevent, she hoped, the timeline Trunks had experienced. It didn't mean they could be complacent by any means, it just meant that they could breathe, perhaps, just a touch easier…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **I hope you enjoyed this very different version of the introduction of the Androids. As with the previous chapter, this version, along with Gero's capture, was initially conceived for another** ** _Dragonball Z_** **fanfic, the same one mentioned in the foreword. But I hadn't yet decided whether there would be a fight against the Androids initially, or else they would get things done by negotiation, at Dr Gero's lab anyway.**

 **By the way, Bulma is bluffing. She made no replica of the deactivator, though she conceivably could, just not while trying to remove the bombs from the Androids. Gero was also bluffing when he said 16 would come after Gohan next.**

 **Next chapter, Vegeta arrives back on Earth in time to fight the Androids, or so he thinks. Ditto Future Trunks…and one of them is going to react VERY badly…**

 **1\. A reference to the AB Groupe dub, who called Piccolo 'Big Green'. Something, incidentally, I would never have known if it weren't for** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **.**

 **2\. Gine is a pun on 'negi', the Japanese term for a spring onion or scallion. As sometimes I have heard the term 'shallot' being used for this vegetable, I decided to give Gine a ki blast attack which is a pun on the word 'shallot'. Hence, Tollsha Wave. Quite frankly, it's a cooler name than 'Gallick Gun'. :P**


	9. Chapter 8: The Fury of the Prince

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **THE FURY OF THE PRINCE**

 _Three years after Future Trunks' warning…_

As Goku trained with 16 in the Gravity Chamber, Gine was peering at the gestation tank, so similar to those used by the Saiyans. Within the breathable liquid, laden with drugs and nutrients, floated a child with a mane of spiky black hair, and a monkey-like tail. Bulma, holding Trunks in her arms, looked at the tank too. "Still freaks me out a little that you guys used these tanks so often. I mean, I can understand why, given you were a warrior race and all, and it's a brilliant medical innovation. A lot of major hospitals have ordered these things. But even so…well, culture shock, I guess."

Gine nodded. "Even though I wasn't much of a warrior, I used these for both Raditz and Goku after a certain point in the pregnancy. And Bardock has been…shall we say eager to have more children? Thankfully, he assented to the use of prophylactics before we dealt with the Androids. I'd rather make sure there was less of a threat before we started anew with our family."

Bulma snorted. "You know, you just reminded me of that first night I had with Vegeta. We'd just finished, and I noticed he wasn't wearing any protection. I guess he never got told about that because when I asked him about where his condom was, his reply was, and I quote, 'The fuck's a condom?!(1)'" Bulma sighed, and looked down at the sleeping Trunks. "Still, can't complain about Trunks. Why did you say I should keep his tail?"

"A Saiyan's strength is in their tail," Gine said. "And as long as we don't look directly at the full moon, we don't transform. A reflection doesn't have the right amount of Blutz Waves to trigger it. Plus, the transformation doesn't really occur until we're at least toddlers. Plus, it's actually quite easy to train out that weakness, you know, whenever the tail is grabbed."

"Speaking of training, why are you and the others continuing the training?" Bulma asked. "I mean, the Androids, we've got on our side and all, so the danger's over, right?"

"I dunno," Gine said. "Firstly, and this is a concrete danger, when Vegeta gets back and finds we went behind his back to stop the Androids, he's going to be pissed, even if the Androids are our allies now. He'd probably start fighting us out of sheer spite."

Bulma nodded. "Okay, good reason right there. But there's more?"

"Well, you saw Dr Gero during his trial. He seemed way too confident, even when he was led away to prison. And there's a sub-basement area to his lab that the authorities haven't been able to get into yet, lest they trigger the defences. Once this stuff with Vegeta blows over, we'll see if we can't blow that sub-basement area open, see what secrets Gero has. Nothing's left, though, according to the guards the authorities have. And there's one other thing. Piccolo has spoken to Kami, and Kami believes that something dangerous is coming, though he's not sure what. And Kami's scared, apparently. I mean, we could use the Dragonballs to uncover what Gero has, but what if we need them to revive someone?"

"Good point," Bulma said. She looked at the tank. "So, what are you going to call her?"

"Selipa, after one of our old comrades(2)," Gine said. As she turned away, Gine said, "We've also got the future version of Trunks to worry about. He's got history with the Androids, and if Lapis and Lazuli are the ones he fought in the future…"

"Yeah, I see your point." Bulma shook her head. "You can see a little of what they could have become. But…I guess we got to them before Gero did much more to them. As it is, I'm glad they're on our side."

Gine nodded, and said, "I'm going to use Instant Transmission to head to Amenbo Island. We might have overlooked something, and in any case, Trunks might be there. If something bad does happen, I'll come back and get the others."

* * *

As it turned out, she found the future Trunks fairly easily, albeit about half an hour after the Androids were scheduled to attack. He seemed to be panicking when he realised none of the others were present, though the lack of destruction confused him. Gine flew up to the lavender-haired boy. "Hey, Trunks!"

Trunks whirled to face her. "What's happened, Gine?!" he demanded. "Where are the others? Where are the Androids?"

"Settle down, Trunks. The Androids aren't our enemies anymore. Dr Gero is in custody. By the way, how did you know my name? Did Goku tell you?"

"He told me while I was telling him about the Androids. And what do you mean, they're not your enemy anymore?" Trunks demanded. "What happened?"

"Long story short, we went to Gero's lab, and found a means of capturing them. I actually intended to take Gero out before he could make them, but two had been activated, and a third was activated by the two Androids. Listen, Trunks, the two Androids we were supposed to face, what do they look like?"

"A pair of young people, one a black-haired man, the other a blonde woman, both with pale blue eyes. Androids 17 and 18 respectively."

"Well, they're now our allies," Gine said. As he gaped at her incredulously, she said, "Look, they may be different in your time, but at the moment, they seem content just to test their strength against us, not kill us or all humanity."

Trunks obviously found that hard to believe, but eventually, he asked, "What about this third Android?"

"16 is a peace-loving one. Gero wanted him to be able to kill Goku, but we managed to persuade him otherwise. He's pretty powerful, though. 17 and 18 outclass us, true, but 16 is appallingly strong, stronger than a Super Saiyan by many degrees."

Trunks frowned, before saying, "Take me to them. I need to see this for myself. If they aren't a threat, then I'll stay here for a time, train for a while, before heading back. By the way, how did you know my name?"

"Goku told us when Bulma fell pregnant with you. She had had a bad argument with your father, and, well, she was delighted to know you grew up to be a nice and strong young man. Oh, and she wants to apologise for hitting on you," Gine said.

Trunks laughed a little sheepishly, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "It's fine. I'd love to meet her again, and…" Suddenly, their heads whipped to look in the direction of Capsule Corp. "Do you feel that? Isn't that my father?"

"Yeah. Daddy's home, he's a Super Saiyan, and judging by that ki, he's pretty angry. And I think I know why," Gine said, quietly. "Hold onto me, we'll use Instant Transmission to get there."

* * *

As it happened, calling Vegeta angry was like calling the vacuum of space a little hard to breathe. Vegeta and Goku were fighting in the streets just outside Capsule Corp. Both were Super Saiyans. And, as Gohan watched on in horror, his father was losing.

He couldn't understand it. Vegeta had only just become a Super Saiyan, and Gohan knew his father was stronger, if only because he had trained with the transformed form and with 16. Said Android was watching the fight with Gohan next to him, and Gohan watched as a disturbed look, not normally on the massive Android's face, nonetheless came over him.

"Something is wrong," 16 intoned. "Goku is weakening. His ki is fluctuating. And his cardiovascular system seems most affected."

Gohan blinked. "Cardiovascular system? It must be the heart virus Trunks warned us about!" Any further exclamation on the matter was cut short when Vegeta managed to send Goku flying into Capsule Corp. Gohan rushed in there after him, while Vegeta marched towards the hole in the building.

"Deprive me of glorious battle, Kakarrot? You and your treacherous, lowly trash family?" Vegeta snarled. "Well, you all shall perish."

Serendipitously, Goku was currently sprawled in a laboratory where Bulma kept samples of medicines. One thing she did try was to replicate the heart virus medicine, which meant that there were several vials of the stuff, in liquid form. Gohan hurriedly injected his father with a hypospray of the stuff, even as Goku clutched his chest and screamed, his Super Saiyan transformation gone. Gohan then injected himself with another vial, just in case. As Vegeta walked in, Gohan yelled, "My father's ill, Vegeta, the heart virus is killing him!"

"Trust me, the heart virus is the least of his worries," Vegeta snarled. But as he raised his hand to perform a ki blast, Bulma rushed in, with Trunks in her arms.

"Vegeta, what's the meaning of this?"

"If you don't want to die, woman, leave," Vegeta growled.

"Father, stop!"

Vegeta whirled when he heard the voice. He saw the lavender-haired youth from three years before rushing through the hole, followed by Gine. Gohan's eyes widened. "Trunks!"

The future Trunks put himself between Vegeta and Goku. "Father, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Father? I don't remember siring any half-breed spawn…" Then, Vegeta blinked, and then looked at Bulma holding the infant Trunks, and then back at the future Trunks. A grin split his features. "Ah, so I see. So the future Super Saiyan was _my_ child. Of course, I should have realised it. Only my progeny would be so worthy. Stand aside, boy. Kakarrot has robbed me of my battle."

"You're going to kill him for that?!" Trunks yelped incredulously.

Vegeta glared at the future version of his son. "He has thwarted me on many an occasion, _boy_. This was but the final insult. I am the Prince of all Saiyans!"

"You're no prince," Gine sneered. "Just a drama queen."

With a roar, Vegeta launched himself at her, but she fled through the hole, luring Vegeta with her. Trunks followed, while Bulma looked at Goku concerned. "We'd better give everyone doses of that medicine," Bulma said. She looked out of the hole in the side of Capsule Corp, and muttered, "Looks like Gine was right."

"I wish she wasn't," Gohan said, as he tended to his father. "I knew Vegeta was bad, but…he goes on and on about the pride and honour of Saiyans…but he has no honour. Just pride."

* * *

"Stop fleeing like a coward!" Vegeta screamed at Gine as they flew into the air, Trunks pursuing them.

"I'm getting you away from the non-combatants," Gine retorted, stopping as she reached a certain height. "Anyway, I had the idea for dealing with the Androids early. Your quarrel is with me."

"Oh, I knew that, you lower-class slattern!" Vegeta sneered. "But Kakarrot has insulted me time and again. You and your spawn have continually tarnished the honour of the Saiyans, and of our elite in particular!"

"Honour?" Gine shook her head, her face twisting into a scowl of contempt. "The Saiyans had no honour. Just pride and bloodlust. And there IS no elite anymore. You are the prince of a handful of Saiyans. You have no kingdom, no throne…" Gine turned Super Saiyan to punctuate her next point. " _No honour_ ," she hissed.

"I have more honour than the entirety of this planet combined!" Vegeta roared

It was Trunks who spoke next. "Is it honourable to try and kill a sick man out of spite?"

Vegeta wheeled on Trunks. "You do not have any right to judge me, boy! NOBODY DOES!"

"I should have known there was a reason my mother spoke little about you, why she seemed evasive…" Trunks said. He then glared at his father. "If they managed to stop the Androids from rampaging, how does it matter?"

"I was deprived of my glorious battle!" Vegeta snarled. "Stay back, boy, because I'm going to make sure this whore pays for her insolence."

As Vegeta rushed forward, and Gine braced herself to fight, Trunks was between them, his hair golden and his eyes green. "Dammit, Father, stop this!"

"YOU DO NOT COMMAND THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS, BOY!" But as Vegeta swung a fist into Trunks' stomach, the teenager caught the fist.

"MY NAME IS TRUNKS!" Trunks bellowed into Vegeta's face, before sending the irate Saiyan reeling with a headbutt. And with that, they fought.

As Gine, still as a Super Saiyan, watched on, she heard a wry voice remark, "So, that's the kid who warned you about us, right? The future version of Bulma's kid?"

Gine looked over her shoulder to find Lazuli, aka Android 18, hovering in mid-air, still dressed rather formally. Gine nodded, before returning. "I thought you were off on your date with Krillin?"

"Sadly, the show was cancelled at the last minute," Lazuli said. "We just got back to Capsule Corp to touch base before heading back to Kame House, only to find a big hole in the building, and Goku recovering from a heart attack. I was told that the Prince had a hissy fit. Krillin's helping the others tend to Goku. I came up here in case you two needed a hand." Lazuli watched the fight with a critical eye. "Hmm, not bad. Both of them have got skills. The kid's more powerful, but Vegeta's got more experience." Trunks managed to land a blow on Vegeta. As Vegeta snarled, and redoubled his attacks, Lazulia raised an eyebrow. "I'm also getting the vibe that the kid's holding back. Is he seriously trying to take it easy on his father?"

"Not that he deserves it," Gine remarked. "I mean, he had the temerity to call me a whore. Even though I was one of the few Saiyans in his lifetime to actually get married. I know his father played around. And he treated Bulma with contempt." Gine's attention returned to the fight. "Well, look. I think Trunks has the upper hand, and the Drama Queen doesn't like it."

Indeed, that seemed to be the case. Vegeta was looking more battered and bloodied than Trunks was, and the Prince of All Saiyans seemed to know it. But Gine and Lazuli didn't like the gleam in his eyes. "Nobody can be allowed to defeat me and live. Not even my own son. So let's see how you like not existing!" Swiftly, he charged up a Gallick Gun, pouring as much energy as he could into it, and fired it.

But not at Trunks, or Gine, or Lazuli.

He fired at Capsule Corp on the ground below.

Gine reacted swiftly, using Instant Transmission to place herself in the path of the beam. Even as a Super Saiyan, blocking the beam was all she could do. She screamed as the beam burst, an explosion lighting up the skies above Capsule Corp, shattering windows for miles around.

And out of the blast plummeted the smoking body of Gine, no longer a Super Saiyan. She bounced off the roof of Capsule Corp, and hit the ground. Krillin and Lapis, who were closest and who had been watching the fight, rushed over. Gine was alive, but unconscious, bruises and burns covering her skin.

* * *

As Trunks stared in horror, Vegeta took advantage of the teenager's distraction to smash him across the jaw, and send him plummeting to the ground. Vegeta laughed, only to feel someone tapping his shoulder. He turned to find Lazuli looking at him with her icy blue eyes. "I thought you wanted to fight the Androids, Vegeta. You've got one of them right here."

"You're one of the Androids?" Vegeta scoffed. "You don't look like much. Well, as you just saw with Kakarrot's whore mother, I'm not afraid to hit a woman."

Lazuli grinned. "That's okay. Neither am I(3)."

Lazuli had to admit, she enjoyed the look of surprise on Vegeta's face when she began attacking. Plus, the fact he couldn't sense her ki meant he was at a further disadvantage. She had learned how to sense ki, however, thanks to the patient tuition of the others.

Of course, Vegeta was skilled, and more so than she was. But the gulf between their power levels was immense. Even now, Goku and Gine were only just below her level, and still nowhere near 16's level. Vegeta, who seemed to be only a relatively new Super Saiyan, wasn't at Goku and Gine's level. Only his Gallick Gun having a lot of ki shoved into it, and Gine's desperate attempt to save Capsule Corp, ensured she got defeated. He also only defeated Trunks by catching the teen unawares.

There were many reasons why Lazuli wanted to remodel Vegeta's face. One, he had just tried to murder his own infant child, and while she knew that her future self had little in the way of such compunctions, Lazuli knew she was different. Two, his arrogance made her want to beat the shit out of him. Three, Lazuli had become friends with Gine and Bulma, and she didn't like them being threatened. And four, it had been a while since she was able to go all-out on an opponent, and Vegeta being a grade-A douchebag helped justify this beatdown.

She sent him flying over a mountain range north of West City, before sending him to the ground not far from Gingertown. She approached him as he struggled to get out of the crater he had dug out with his own plummeting body. "I have to wonder, Vegeta, how your father got to be Saiyan royalty. Did he suck Frieza off?"

Depending on your perspective, it was the right thing to say, or the wrong thing to say. From Lazuli's perspective, it was the right thing to say, as it brought Vegeta charging right at her with a berserker howl, only for her to knock him to the ground with a single blow. As his hair changed back to black, she grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up to face her. He was barely conscious.

"Now, listen here, Vegeta. You're no longer top dog. You're nowhere near it. Come near Capsule Corp or any of us again, and you're dead. I haven't grievously injured you, because I don't want you getting that little Saiyan power boost. But put this into your mind: you're not even worth killing." With that, she slammed Vegeta's head into the ground, and flew off, unaware that she had been watched from the shadows.

Vegeta was soon roused from his unwilling slumber by insistent shaking. Still battered and in pain from his fight with Lazuli, he glared up at his would-be helper. His insult died on his lips when he saw the creature.

"My apologies for waking you from your much-needed rest, brother," the creature said. "But considering what had happened, well, I think we need each other's help. How would you like to get revenge on Android 18, as well as Son Goku?"

Vegeta was willing to sell his soul for such a chance, though what he said was, "And who are you?"

The creature chuckled, kneeling down next to Vegeta, who was sitting up. The creature was vaguely insect-like, albeit with two arms and two legs like a man. It had a green carapace, mottled with dark spots. It had two hard chitinous wings, and a writhing tail with a needle-sharp point. Its head was a horned crest, with two eyes with slitted pupils, and an orange beak for a mouth.

"I have many names, Vegeta. But I guess you can call me… _Cell._ "

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And there you have it: Cell's on the scene, and Vegeta just had his arse handed to him by 18, albeit in a different manner to canon. And in case you're wondering why Gine got defeated, it was because she was trying to stop the Gallick Gun from destroying Capsule Corp, and didn't have enough time to defend herself properly. Plus, I needed to make sure not everything goes her way.**

 **BTW, Capsule Corp is in West City, and according to the map of the** ** _Dragonball_** **version of Earth, Gingertown is immediately to the north, separated by a mountain range.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Hinata-Hime-Starz** **: Bulma's hair is sea green throughout most of Dragonball Z, or at least the anime. That's how I'm portraying it.**

 **Guest** **(** ** _the one who doesn't like my Vegeta-bashing_** **): You don't like it? Stop reading. Vegeta's an arsehole and a bastard, and that's how I'm treating him in this story. Stop leaving irate reviews or I will delete them. And it's not an irrational hatred. As noted before, Vegeta is responsible for more than a few bad things happening in** ** _Dragonball Z_** **, with allowing Cell to become Perfect being one of them. He deserves bashing far more than many other fictional characters I know (like Ron Weasley, or Sakura Haruno, or hell, even Sasuke Uchiha, and I hate** ** _him_** **). Stop reading, and stop reviewing, you whiny little brat.**

 **Guest** **(** ** _the one who commented on 16 and the Androids_** **): While I won't be writing any such fic, that was actually one of the reasons I had in mind when Gero was berating 17 and 18. Note that when 18 calls 16 potential 'ki blast fodder', Gero is immediately angry. 16 being modelled on his son was the reason why.**

 **Joe Fenton** **: Of course he isn't. Not the Cell we know. However, I'm wondering about the fate of the Cell still in this timeline, and still in the incubation tank…**

 **1\. Another reference to** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **. This is Vegeta's response when Bulma wonders where his condom is after sex.**

 **2\. I decided to use the original Japanese name of Fasha (the female Saiyan in Bardock's squad in** ** _Bardock: Father of Goku_** **), as I reckon 'Fasha' is not a pun on a vegetable. If 'Fasha' is a pun on a vegetable, can you let me know?**

 **3\. Another** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **reference, from Vegeta and 18's first fight.**


	10. Chapter 9: Future Shock

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **FUTURE SHOCK**

Trunks winced as Lazuli tended to him. Thankfully, he wasn't that badly injured, and neither was Gine, really. All they needed was some rest and some minor medical attention, not a hospital trip or a Senzu bean. They might need to be checked for a concussion, but Capsule Corp employed a company doctor on site, and Saiyan physiology wasn't that different from human physiology, once everything was said and done. It was like Saiyan physiology was more like a different, physically-stronger form of human.

Of course, the irony was that the woman tending to him in the Capsule Corp infirmary was also the same one who had made his life, and those of so many others, a misery in the future. It was hard not to flinch instinctively away from her as she handed him a glass of water and some analgesic tablets.

As he took them, Lazuli said, "So, you're the kid from the future who warned them about us? I saw you go Super Saiyan, by the way. Pretty impressive. You're better than your father, I'll give you that. He only caught you by surprise."

"Thanks," Trunks said shakily, before swallowing the tablets. God, he was accepting compliments from this Android, the same one who, along with her brother, murdered millions, including his own teacher, Gohan. Except…well, she was different. Not so different: she still had a similar personality, she just seemed more human. Which he hoped was a good thing. Eventually, he said, "You're very different from the 18 I knew. I dunno why."

Lazuli shrugged. "Either Gero fucked around with our heads more to make us more murderous, or maybe we got so…what's the term?"

Gohan, who was sitting nearby, asked, "Misanthropic?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Lazuli said. "Thanks, Gohan. Anyway, maybe Gero's treatment merely made us become more misanthropic, so we, well…yeah. I'm not going to apologise for my counterpart's actions in your timeline."

"I don't think the other 18 is like you. Not where it counts," Trunks said. "I'm still getting used to that, but I guess I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt." He got shakily to his feet, and asked, "How's Goku, anyway?"

"Bulma's giving him a go-over with the medical equipment," Gohan said. "Is this virus infectious?"

"Not very," Trunks admitted. "It's a good idea to check for antibodies in the blood, just in case, but there shouldn't be any real lasting damage. The medicine helps regenerate the cardiac muscle, as well as immunising against the virus. Give it time. Goku should be fine, especially as you stopped it just as it was affecting him. I'd say he will be out of it for a day at most, less if we're lucky."

Gine came into the room with a slight limp. "Which is more than what will happen to your father if I have any say in it. Anyway, Trunks, I wanted to ask if you could stay a while, just in case. I know you said you would for a while to train, but there may be a problem."

"Which is what?" Trunks asked.

"Gero has a secret basement. We were waiting until you came back before we breached it, in case there's something really powerful lurking within. Plus, Kami's worried, according to Piccolo. And Gero's pretty calm for a man in prison, as if he's just biding his time."

"That is pretty worrying," Trunks conceded. "Plus, there's the fact that I didn't know of Android 16's existence. I would've thought he had been scrapped."

Bulma came in, frowning, as she held a photo in her hand. "Trunks…we have a problem."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, feeling a chill go down his spine.

"There's a farmer near Gingertown who came across a vehicle with the Capsule Corp logo on it," Bulma said. "He sent us a photo and asked whether there was a reward. Something tells me you're not going to like this."

"Gingertown," Lazuli mused as Bulma handed over the photo. "That's near where I left Vegeta."

Trunks gasped as he looked at the photo. For a moment, he wanted to deny that this was possible at all. But the photo depicted the time machine he had used, with a hole in the canopy, and moss covering much of it. He fumbled around in his jacket, and produced a case filled with capsules. The time machine one was still here, and still intact. Making a decision, he said, "I'll need to see this. If the onboard computers still work, I'll be able to get some answers from them."

"I'll come with you," Gohan said.

"So will I. If Vegeta's still hanging around, we'll have to be ready for him," Gine said.

"I'll come too," Lazuli said.

* * *

Thankfully, the short flight over was uneventful. And the place where the decrepit time machine was quite some distance from where Vegeta had been left by Lazuli. Bulma had been flown over in the arms of the future version of her son. Gine intended to use Instant Transmission to get back to Capsule Corp, once their business was done, or else they encountered Vegeta.

Trunks peered at the time machine in front of him, and then brushed some moss off, revealing the word 'HOPE!' underneath the moss. "You wrote that, Mother," Trunks said. "This is definitely the same time machine as mine." He plucked the capsule from its case, and activated it, throwing it onto the ground, with the time machine appearing in a blast of smoke.

Lazuli frowned. "So, this is the same time machine, but this one comes either from your personal future, or yet another timeline. And it's been here a while." She circled the decrepit time machine, and tapped it. She then looked at the canopy, and the hole in it. "How strong is that?"

"Spacecraft grade, though that means nothing to a strong-enough ki blast," Trunks said.

"And it came from the inside," Gohan pointed out. "Look at the way it's melted. It's melted outwards."

"Why use a ki blast to open up the canopy, though?" Gine mused. "Why not open it up using the controls inside?"

Trunks floated up to it, and then opened up the canopy. "There's more than enough power, but…wait, what's this?" He plucked out a pair of dome-like objects, purple with protrusions.

"Let me see those," Bulma asked. As she took them from Trunks, she experimentally put them together, and muttered, "Is it me, or is this some sort of egg?"

"It's not just you," Lazuli said. "It's certainly organic, whatever it is. I'm not coming up with any matches in my databanks, though."

"I've never seen anything like it," Gine said. "You know what this means, though."

Gohan, who was looking in the cockpit as Trunks looked over the instruments, nodded. "Something hatched from that egg. Something that had to use a ki blast to get out."

"I don't like the sound of that at all," Trunks said as he checked a computer readout. "The power's almost gone on this thing, but I've got the right information here. This time machine arrived nearly four years ago. It seemed like it was preset long before it was activated. It might have been this time machine's arrival that changed the timelines. Or maybe it wasn't. I honestly don't know." He left the decrepit time machine's cockpit, and then changed both time machines back to their capsule forms.

Gohan looked over elsewhere, and then flew away. After a moment, he called, "Guys…I think I know what hatched from the egg."

Trunks, Gine, Lazuli and Bulma followed Gohan. Bulma emitted a shriek when she saw the massive, grotesque, cicada-like form sprawled on the ground. It took them all a moment to realise that it was a hollow shell, much like those cicada nymphs left behind.

"What the hell is that thing?" Lazuli muttered with a grimace. "I mean, other than fugly?"

Gine shrugged, looking disgusted as well. "I've never seen anything like it before, though I have, sadly, seen uglier things in my lifetime. Have you seen anything like it?"

"It resembles a giant cicada nymph's shell," Lazuli said, "but other than that, it doesn't correspond to anything in my databanks." As Trunks dipped his hand into the fissure in the back of the shell, Lazuli winced. "Oh, you did NOT do what I thought you just did!"

"Oh, it's worse than you think," Trunks muttered, grimacing in disgust as he withdrew his hand. Pink slime covered his hand. "It's still warm. Whatever this thing was, it only moulted recently."

"Well," Lazuli said with a scowl, "I hope you wash your hands VERY thoroughly before you touch anyone with that."

"Bulma, do you have facilities in Capsule Corp that can figure out what this thing is?" Gine asked.

Bulma nodded, albeit uneasily. "With that gunk? Yeah. Just hope it isn't infectious or anything…"

* * *

They used Instant Transmission to get back to Capsule Corp, and Trunks and Gohan took the shell to one of Bulma's labs. While Lazuli went to find Krillin, Gine went to find her husband. He took a few minutes of finding. The lazy bum was sitting in front of a television, along with Lapis and Yamcha. Bardock looked up when she came in. "Oh, hey, Gine. What was that thing you and Bulma needed to check out?"

"Troublesome is what it is. We found a twin of Trunks' time machine," Gine said. "How's Goku?"

"No change. His wife's hanging around him, playing nursemaid. I mean, she's a bit of a harpy, but at least she cares about him when push comes to shove," Bardock said with a shrug. "Kakarrot should recover before long. You didn't encounter Vegeta again while you were on this little jaunt?"

"It was a little way away from where Lazuli left Vegeta, according to her," Gine said. She was about to say something more when the baseball match on the TV was interrupted by a new bulletin.

"Aw, man, and just when it was getting to a good bit!" Lapis groaned. "Frigging news bulletins, I…wait, what's this? Mass disappearances in Gingertown?"

Gine stared, even as Yamcha swivelled in his seat, and peered up at the female Saiyan. "Hey, that's near where you went, isn't it?"

Gine strode over to a nearby phone, which could call internally. Thankfully, a handy guide as to which numbers would call which section of the Capsule Corp building was stuck next to it. She called the main biology lab. Gohan picked up. " _Hello?_ "

"Gohan, do you guys have a TV down there?"

" _Um, yes. Why?_ "

"Tell Bulma to change it to CQTV. There's mass disappearances in Gingertown."

Some minutes later, Gine and the others looked on in horror as the reporters were attacked. She did note that the clothing of the victims were left discarded on the ground, some with massive holes, as if from some sort of impalement. They stared, even as the camera was crushed by the culprit.

From the phone, Gine suddenly heard Bulma's voice, quiet and quavering. " _Gine…I've got bad news about that thing we found. Whatever it is, it's not a natural thing. It's been biologically engineered. I'm counting at least four different species, including human and Saiyan. I'm pretty sure that one of them is Namekian. In fact, it's practically identical to samples I took from Piccolo when he was in a good mood. In fact, the Saiyan genes are a hybrid between Goku's, Gohan's, Vegeta's, and a couple of extra sources. Given what I've analysed, I wouldn't be surprised if the other two Saiyan sources were Radditz and Nappa. And we've got Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien's genes mixed in too. I don't know how they managed to get the engineering of four different species and so many different individuals together, it'd be a miracle to create a living being, a chimaera, like that._ "

"Who would be capable of creating such a thing?" Gine asked. "More to the point, how did they get the samples?"

" _Well…you know how we thought Gero was being a bit too smug and calm for a guy in prison? Call me paranoid, but he's a good enough bioengineer to have created something like this. His specialty was in cybernetics and robotics, but he also had controversial views about genetic engineering, and has the education and smarts to pull something like this off. This chimaera, whatever it is, I'd put money on it being Gero's work. Call it a gut feeling._ "

"Maybe. Or maybe it's someone else with a god complex and a knack for genetics," Gine said. "Whatever it is, it's almost certainly responsible for what happened in Gingertown. Maybe that's what was in the basement in Gero's lair."

" _Maybe._ "

Gine frowned. "But the egg we found was in the time machine, while the shell we found was not far from it, suggesting that this hybrid comes from the future. And as Gero was killed by his own creations in Trunks' timeline…"

" _Yeah, but if you're right about it being in the basement, it could have been hidden for all that time. Bioengineering on this scale can take a while, and it's possible that it could have taken this long just for this thing to be readied. Gero, or whoever created it, could have used some automated process._ "

"Which means Gero was hoping that the creature would wreak havoc at some future date, because there's no way in hell he could have known about the time machine. Assuming Gero is responsible. Great, things just got more complicated…"

* * *

Malicious is the Prince of All Saiyans, but subtle he was not(1). Well, most of the time. On the rare occasion, Vegeta can come up with surprisingly cunning strategies, with misdirection and deception. But usually, he fought with brute strength and speed, using an array of techniques to get his way. That is, to victory.

So when, having recovered from fighting the others, he was asked by Cell (the Prince of All Saiyans does NOT take orders from anyone!) to retrieve Dr Gero from prison, he decided to take the direct approach. Oh, he was careful enough to lower his ki down to levels the weaklings would find hard to sense, but he broke down walls, weathered bullets shot by the pathetic guards (only the ones foolish enough to get in his way, he swatted aside: he was a man on a mission), and walked down corridors until he found the right cell. The banshee wailing of the alarms and sirens was getting on his nerves.

He knew which prison Gero had been left at because the woman who had sired his bastard whelp had been foolish enough to let it slip shortly before his fight with Kakarrot. Once he reached the cell, he tore open the door (ultra-thick and ultra-strong metal, a hindrance to a pathetic weakling, perhaps), and beheld the old man. This was him, the supposed author of the Androids, the terrors who were supposed to have killed him in the future? They were too weak to, Vegeta thought contemptuously: why else would that blonde bitch have spared him if she wasn't too weak to finish the job she started? Well, she would rue that day, as would the others.

"Vegeta…this is an unexpected pleasure," Gero said.

"Save it. I would have left you to rot, old man, but I have been asked to bring you out of here," Vegeta sneered. "Cell sent me."

"Cell? But that's impossible, he isn't ready yet, I…"

"Old man, he said he came back in a time machine. And when he heard about where you were, he asked me to spring you. If you want, I'll leave you here…"

"No, I'll come," Gero said.

"Good answer," Vegeta said. "Now, let's get the hell out of here. Those alarms are pissing me off…"

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And so, there you have it. Vegeta making his move, and Bulma finding out the secret behind Cell.**

 **Review-answering time!** **jgkitarel** **: Of course. While he's a moderately interesting character, he's also a complete and utter bastard. He's almost entirely self-centred (and without the almost up until the end of the Frieza saga). So making him a villain is actually not that far from canon, despite what the whiners think.**

 **anonymous** **: In order, the answers are: No. Yes. Totally synthetic. And Goku. Though with Goku currently out of the picture, it's a tossup between Gine and Trunks.**

 **Axel Davis** **: He is not acting OOC. You're merely in denial.**

 **Breakawayfan** **: 18/Lazuli mentioned in the previous chapter she had just been out with him.**

 **Sully** **: I tend to make things up as I go along. I do have some rough ideas for how things will turn out, though.**

 **1\. This is a twist on a quote by Albert Einstein: "The Lord is subtle, but malicious he is not".**


	11. Chapter 10: Call Me Cell

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **CALL ME CELL**

Piccolo looked down at the Earth below, scowling, as Kami did so too, standing alongside him. "You felt that," Piccolo said, almost accusingly.

"I did," Kami said. "This is what I feared would happen. And even with the defection of the Androids and their help in getting you stronger, you're not at the same level as this…foul creature." The ancient Namekian pinched the bridge of his nose, and strode along the circumference of the Lookout which had been his home for centuries. Piccolo followed. "Although bringing the Saiyans into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, not to mention yourself, will help, it may still allow more people to die. I want to deal with this beast as soon as possible. But…it means…"

"Fusing with me. Becoming one entity again," Piccolo said.

"Indeed. It's not an easy decision to make, even with these people's lives at stake. Leaving aside the cessation of an independent existence, there are also the Dragonballs to consider. Once we recombine, the Dragonballs will cease to be. Only the possibility that we can get a replacement for my post from the new Namek even allows me to consider this course of action."

"We'll have to tell Goku or Gine," Piccolo said. "They know the Instant Transmission technique, they could make their way to the new Namek instantly. Goku would be a better choice, though."

"True. The Namekians at least consider him a hero for battling Frieza." Kami looked back down to the Earth. "And to think what good Gine, one of the last surviving Saiyans, has done in her own life, helping Goku bring the Androids into the fold. She and her son are worthy representatives of an otherwise barbaric and brutal people, as is Gohan and Trunks." Kami closed his eyes, gathering himself, before he finally turned to Piccolo. "We should do this now, before I lose my nerve."

"You are truly going through with this?" asked Mr Popo, the dark-skinned retainer to Kami and his predecessors.

"Yes. I must apologise, Mr Popo. You have been a good and loyal friend. Please forgive me," Kami said quietly. "But one cannot be the Guardian of a world that is being steadily exterminated by a great evil. And my inaction has cost the world too many times."

"Do we even remember our name when we were one?" Piccolo asked.

"No. I doubt even the Namek we become will remember his true name," Kami said. "Now, place your hand on my chest. I'm sure you wish for me to be the catalyst, as it was when you fused with Nail on Namek."

Piccolo nodded grimly, and did as he was bid. After a moment, Kami gathered power, and soon, the two Nameks were consumed in a blaze of light. A dazzled Mr Popo lowered his arms from where he had flung them in front of his face, to see only Piccolo, or rather, the Namek that was the source of both Kami and Piccolo, standing. He looked like Piccolo, but there was a strange serenity that Piccolo lacked.

"So, this is how I used to be," Piccolo murmured. "I was right, I did forget my name. It has been so long. Piccolo fits anyway. It's the name part of me answered to for so long, and I'm a more hands-on sort of Guardian than the post of Kami requires."

"Goodbye, old friend," Mr Popo said sadly.

Piccolo chuckled gently. "No, Mr Popo. It's not goodbye. I don't intend to die yet. I have this vile creature to deal with first." And with that, he flew off the top of the Lookout, heading for Gingertown.

* * *

When he got there, the streets were deserted. The only thing remaining of any of the citizens were empty clothes strewn along the streets haphazardly. But where was the creature responsible?

He began searching out for any ki signatures…and found at least one, moving slowly nearby. He turned to face it…and came face to face with a monster.

The creature was tall, vaguely humanoid, with two arms, two legs, and a recognisable head. But it had many insect-like properties, with a green carapace. A tail with a hypodermic-like stinger waved lazily. The face had no nose, just a strange orange beak and two slit-pupilled eyes that stared at him in an appraising manner. The head had a strange crest. In one hand, it had been dragging a rather rotund man along, who was currently unconscious. And who was the source of the ki he had sensed. This creature was suppressing its ki to an extraordinary degree, though Piccolo could now sense it, as he had sensed it, at times, before, both as Piccolo and Kami.

"So, you're the one I sensed," Piccolo muttered. The creature only chuckled softly in response.

The rotund man chose this moment to rouse, and then panicked. "Hey, you, help me out here! Look, I'm the richest man in this town! You've gotta help me!" He fished around in his jacket and plucked out an impressively thick wad of banknotes. "You see this?"

"I'm not interested in your money," Piccolo told the man coldly, before looking at the creature. "Let him go immediately. Or I'll confiscate one of your limbs."

The creature released the man, but as the man tried to scurry away, the tail suddenly lashed out, and impaled the man. "Sorry, but I'm a touch thirsty, and there's nothing like the rush I get out of making people… _disappear_ ," the creature rasped.

Before Piccolo's horrified eyes, the man began to shrivel and melt, the waves of desiccation and dissolution happening as the tail of the creature pulsed and throbbed like the obscene appendage it was. It was consuming the very life essence of the man, and only the certainty that the man was already doomed stayed Piccolo's hand. That, and the sheer horror of what he was witnessing.

Soon, the man's liquefying flesh faded into nothingness, leaving only the clothes with a hole in them…and the thick wad of banknotes. "Well, now that that last hors d'oeuvre has been tucked away," the creature said almost conversationally, "I think it's about time for the main course, Piccolo." Then, with a grotesque grin on its beak-like mouth, the creature began to unleash its ki.

Piccolo began to feel more than just horror, but fear too when he felt these distinctive ki signatures, ki signatures that, he knew, would get the attention of the other fighters. Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Vegeta, Nappa, Frieza, King Cold, even his own ki signature was in there. It was as if the power of these people were flickering back and forth like the images in a zoetrope, flashing back and forth in an endless cycle, blurring into an impression of a whole.

With an effort, he stamped down on that fear. As impressive as the creature's ki was, it was still not on a level of his own now, as far as he could tell. The creature was a living being. That meant that it could bleed. And anything that bled could die.

"Impressed, Piccolo? We share blood, you and I."

"Maybe," Piccolo said, before unleashing his own ki. As dust swirled around him and the ground began to shake, Piccolo said, "But you've made two fatal errors, whatever you are."

"Oh? Then pray, tell me what they were?"

"The first is that you're a little out of touch. I'm not Piccolo. Well, not quite, not anymore. It's a perfectly understandable mistake, but one that will cost you your life."

"Ooh, ominous. And the second?"

"You killed the populace. What's holding me back from going all-out?" As he flung out his hand to unleash as strong a ki attack as he could, the creature had just enough time to cross its arms in front of its body before the blast hit it.

The city was soon turned to rubble, and Piccolo kept an eye out for his quarry, who soon emerged from the remains of a devastated building. _Ah, I miss doing some property damage_ , Piccolo thought nostalgically. That was one of the things he had truly missed doing as Demon King Piccolo.

He sent the creature flying with a kick, and began knocking it around, until it stopped itself from an uncontrolled fall. It flew into the sky, and then put a pair of fingers to its forehead, the fingers suddenly buzzing and crackling with energy in a familiar way.

 _How the hell does it know my attack?!_ Piccolo snarled inwardly, recognising the technique he had originally created to kill Son Goku with.

" ** _SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!_** " screamed the creature, unleashing the piercing ki beam that had slain Raditz and Goku years ago. But Piccolo, having created the move and knowing how to deflect it, did so perfectly, swatting the beam into the ruins of another building, causing it to disintegrate as the beam detonated.

The two combatants clashed again, before the creature recovered from another strong blow. The creature seemed both frustrated and exhilarated, smiling as it got to its feet. "My, my, Piccolo. Full of surprises. How intriguingly infuriating."

"I want answers. Who are you? What are you? What do you have to do with that other time machine?" Kami had seen the derelict time machine earlier.

"All in due time, Piccolo. Let's consider this an ongoing lesson." The creature cupped his hands in a familiar gesture, bringing the cupped hands behind him, while a scintillating orb of ki coalesced.

 _The Kamehameha!_ Piccolo realised. _The signature ki blast of the Turtle School and that old pervert Roshi! How did this creature learn it? Or for that matter, how did it learn my own?_

" _KAMEHAMEHA!_ " the creature howled, thrusting the cupped hands forward, and unleashing the ki blast.

Piccolo dodged at the last second, and then came to a standstill above the ruins of Gingertown, hoping to surprise the creature from above. Only to find that he had been played when he felt something very strong clamp onto him. "Gotcha!"

Suddenly, Piccolo felt the creature being wrenched loose and flung to the ground with an indignant squawk. "Took the words out of my mouth," came the voice of Gine. She then sped down to the creature, and pinned it to the ground, making sure to avoid the writhing tail.

"Gine?!" Piccolo turned to find Trunks, and Lazuli present. "What're you doing here?"

Trunks shrugged. "Felt the weird ki signatures. Gine thought we'd come here by Instant Transmission, so we did, just right after you unleashed your first big ki blast. We thought you had it under control until that thing got you."

"I appreciate the help," Piccolo said, before they descended to the ground.

"Hey, Miss Whoever-You-Are?" the creature asked. "Dunno whether you care, but usually, I like to be on top. Plus, bondage isn't my thing."

"Cute. Now, what the hell are you? Who are you? Are you one of Dr Gero's creations?"

The creature looked shocked for a moment, before it chuckled. "Good guess. Yes, I am one of Dr Gero's creations. Call me… _Cell_. A bio-engineered Android created from the genetic material of the greatest fighters Gero could gather samples from."

"You're one of that bastard's creations?" Lazuli demanded.

"Indeed I am…dear sister. I'm surprised to see you allied with Son Goku and his little troupe. Then again, Dr Gero never really thought you reliable." His eyes looked over at Trunks. "And another surprise. You made the most wonderful noise when I snapped your neck. How privileged I am to do it another time over." As Gine pulled his arm back more, with a threatening crack occurring, he snarled, "Oh, take a joke, damn you!"

"You murdered me, and stole my time machine?" Trunks demanded. "Why?!"

"You killed my brother and sister, Trunks," Cell said.

"Revenge, then," Piccolo said.

"Nothing so sentimental." Cell looked over at Lazuli. "Dr Gero built a nice little feature into my very make-up. I am made up of the cells of Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Nappa, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, Frieza and King Cold. But I can also merge myself with certain other biomechanical signatures to enhance my power, to achieve… _Perfection_."

Lazuli's eyes widened when she cottoned on. "You can fuse with us?"

"I can _absorb_ you. Achieve the Perfection I so ardently desire. How about it, dear sister?"

"How about _no?_ " Lazuli retorted. "You disgusting creature. Dr Gero must've been scraping the bottom of the barrel when he created a freak like you."

"Says the delinquent runaway named for a frigging jewel! Did your mommy and daddy _want_ you to grow up to be a stripper or something(1)? Being given a number is an improvement!" Suddenly, a crack from Cell's back heralded a screech of pain from the biomechanical monster.

"Bored now," Gine said, before wrenching Cell's arm off, and then ripping his tail off. "Have any last words before I turn you into ashes?"

"A few. Just out of curiosity, who the hell are you? You seem like a Saiyan, but I didn't know any more survived."

"Gine, mother of Goku. Any actual last words, or just questions?"

"One question, actually. Wanna see a magic trick? I'm gonna make a monkey fly!" Ki suddenly flared around the creature, knocking Gine back. He got to his feet, and regenerated his arm and his tail, the new limbs shooting out of the stumps in a spray of pale green liquid. "Bitch, _please_. Thanks to Piccolo's cells, I can regenerate. Anyway, I'm sure you've felt enlightened. Here's one last flash of realisation, free of charge!" He flung his hands in front of his face in a familiar gesture, and howled " _SOLAR FLARE!_ "

The world was consumed by a strobing white flare, and they heard Cell cackling as he escaped. They took some time to clear the afterimage from their eyes. But by the time they did so, Cell was gone.

"Why didn't he try to absorb Lazuli?" Trunks asked.

"Even if we were blinded, he might have risked being attacked while trying to absorb her," Piccolo mused as he rubbed at his eyes. "He's probably going to try and get stronger before he makes such a move."

"Well, I guess we know what crawled out of the time machine," Gine said.

"And he killed me…well, a me from another timeline," Trunks muttered, disturbed.

"Sadistic, sickening bastard," Lazuli said with a shudder. "We'd better get back and warn the others. Especially my brother. I don't want to end up as part of that… _thing_."

"That's something we can all agree on, Lazuli," Piccolo remarked.

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The first clash with Cell. Hope you enjoyed it. Most of this was based on canon, but with a nice twist from the story. I also added elements of the version of Cell from** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **, some of his dark humour and unpredictability.**

 **Review-answering time!** **anonymous** **: Yes, it will. Remember, in canon, his desire to see Cell become Perfect so that he could get a decent challenge bit him in the arse. Vegeta will get his just desserts…**

 **unnoun** **: They are treating him like he's the best character in the series, like he can do little wrong. Vegeta is a major bastard, really. And if they complain to me, they only have themselves to blame when I hit back at them.**

 **Gold Testament** **: Bulma present and future, no, but Future Cell sneezing is definitely a missed opportunity.**

 **Reishin Amara** **: Probably not. I think that Vegeta's pride would prevent him from turning himself into a cyborg. He'd probably hate all the maintenance work he'd need to do. He'd probably say, "You can't improve on perfection!"**

 **1\. In** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **, Dr Gero, in notes about Androids 17 and 18, remarks about their real names, Lapis and Lazuli, to a similar effect.**


	12. Chapter 11: Making Plans

**CHAPTER 11:**

 **MAKING PLANS**

Gohan, as he sat by his father's side, was going over some written problems. Now that he and Chi-Chi had agreed on a field to research, that of ki, she had become less demanding of her son. Oh, she still wanted him to do the best he could, and had him on exercises that were practically university-level, but she had become less domineering and more encouraging. And she was at least agreeing to a balance of physical training with his homework.

Of course, there was this new threat. He had felt those strange ki signatures, so like people he had encountered. A chill had gone down his spine when he had sensed Frieza again, but it was somehow worse when he felt his friends, including his own father. And given what Bulma had said earlier about that hollow shell they had found near Gingertown…

Gohan very nearly didn't notice what happened next. It was only a subtle shift in the ki of Goku in bed, and a faint noise, that had him look over to his father, who was sitting up in bed, blinking. "Suffering from heart problems is definitely an overrated experience, especially when Vegeta's beating the crap out of you," Goku muttered, running a hand through his messy black hair. He looked over at Gohan. "Oh, hey, Gohan."

Gohan hugged his father. "Oh, Dad…you're okay!"

"It's okay, Gohan." He looked at his son. "I've got the feeling you guys have a lot to tell me."

Gohan nodded, only to notice something with his ki sensing. "I think the others are back. Grandma, Lazuli, and Trunks went to see what Piccolo was doing."

Goku gingerly got out of bed. After testing himself a little, he muttered, "Well, I feel fine enough. Okay, let's go."

* * *

Goku listened to what Piccolo, Trunks, Gine and Lazuli had to say. The others were gathered around too. Lapis was groaning. "So, we've got another one of Dr Gero's creations running around? And it wants to absorb us, sis?"

"Yeah," Lazuli said. "I dunno about you, but I for one don't want to become part of that thing. Seriously, even aside from the fact that he looked like the twisted mutant lovechild of a cicada and a human, he's got this creepy molester vibe coming from him. I don't think he's as powerful as either of us…yet. But it may only be a matter of time if he absorbs enough people. That's why he's staying under the radar."

"We'll have to stop that," Trunks said. "We need to prevent Cell from achieving his full potential. But how?"

"I have an idea," Goku said. "We can train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Piccolo nodded. "You're seriously considering that?"

"Tell me for those of us who aren't in the know, please?" Lazuli asked.

Piccolo looked at the Android, before saying, "It's a special chamber…no, more of a portal to another dimension. You can spend a year training in there, and only a day passes outside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It's a harsh realm, though. It opens out into a void with heavy gravity, and thin atmosphere. Sometimes, the dimension even throws obstacles at you to overcome, though it works best with a training partner. Only two people can normally enter, though that's a supply issue more than anything else(1)."

"Technically, sis and I don't need to eat," Lapis said. "The energy generators in our bodies do that for us. We just eat because we want to be reminded we're still alive and human…relatively speaking. Our bodies adapt like humans to training."

"Fair enough," Piccolo said. "I suggest training in threes: an Android plus two others. That way, at least one of the Androids Cell is targeting is out of his reach, even if only temporarily, and is getting stronger."

"I've got an idea," Goku said. "I want to train myself and Gohan, so we'll do that with one of the Androids, and for the other trio, we'll have Mom and Trunks with another Android. After that, Dad and, well, whoever wants to get stronger. Mom and I, while we were training with the Super Saiyan state on Yardrat, well, we thought there may be another stage beyond Super Saiyan."

Gine nodded. "The Super Saiyan of legend was supposed to be an invincible warrior, and while you can't put too much stock into legends being accurate, I had this hunch that the Super Saiyan transformation is only the first step. Goku and I can control the transformation pretty damn well. I think, given what you've done, Piccolo, that Goku should head to New Namek as soon as possible, find someone willing to become a new Guardian. We'll need the Dragonballs before long. Cell's already wiped out Gingertown, and more cities and towns will be next."

"Well then, Gine and Trunks will go first into the Chamber," Goku decided. "That way, we have time for me to head to New Namek and find someone willing to become the new Guardian. I think we should also have someone head to Dr Gero's lab. We've been meaning to do that anyway, but with everything else going on…"

"I'll go," Bardock said.

"I'll go too. If they have Cell in there, we might be able to take his younger self, do analysis, see if there's some kind of weakness," Bulma decided.

"I'll come with you too," Krillin said. "I prefer to do something useful than sitting around."

"Okay, but you'd better take care," Lazuli said.

"You too," Krillin said. The two had been going out, surprisingly enough. Lapis had once taunted his sister for having a thing for midgets. Lazuli had promptly punched him through a wall, remarking that societal definitions of beauty were bullshit anyway(2).

Android 16, after a time, said, "I will try to hunt down Cell. By my estimation, he is currently well below my power level, and as I am entirely mechanical, he cannot absorb me or merge with me. It is best that I find him before he absorbs too many people, and kill him. I will also try to locate Vegeta and Dr Gero."

"Why?" Bulma asked. "Dr Gero's still in prison, isn't he?"

"I have a feed from the news networks. Apparently, there's only just been breaking news: the prison where Gero is incarcerated was attacked about half an hour ago. Preliminary reports suggest that Gero was taken by a man who fits the description of Vegeta. While I do not have enough evidence to support this theory, it is my belief that Cell may have recruited Vegeta to his cause, and has asked Vegeta to free Gero. Vegeta must have kept his ki at a low level, as I did not notice this with my sensors."

Goku nodded. "Then it's decided. We'd better get going. We need to stop Cell as soon as possible."

* * *

Vegeta grimaced as he operated the machinery. The Prince of All Saiyans, reduced to a nurse in an automated operating theatre! Still, at least it was relatively user-friendly. Even that fool Kakarrot could operate this machine with proper instruction.

They had snuck into Gero's lair, with only a token surveillance crew left on the lair lately by the army. Cell had told him to get Gero back to his lab so that he could become an Android. Vegeta had idly considered becoming one himself, before deciding you couldn't improve on the perfection that was a Saiyan body.

That, and he was certain that the maintenance would be a bitch.

Soon, Gero's brain was placed into an Android body, a replica of Gero's own, and the readouts were looking good. Soon, Gero opened his eyes, and got to his feet. He looked at his hands, and grinned. "I considered making this an absorption model…but I think using the same generator as those treacherous reprobates will be a delicious irony. This is a better model of generator, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, bragging about the new model, I get it, old man," Vegeta said with a roll of his eyes. "Cell promised me he would make me stronger, strong enough to beat Kakarrot, his whore of a mother, his crotchspawn, and those damned Androids. Not to mention that lavender-haired girly whelp who is a shame to my seed. I should never have fucked that green-haired weakling."

"Well, we had better regroup with Cell. Where did he tell you to meet him?"

"Some city called Nicky Town. I presume you know the way, old man. So let's get going…"

* * *

On the Lookout, Mr Popo was leading Gine and Trunks, along with Lazuli, through the lookout, with Goku, Gohan, Lapis and Piccolo following not far behind. "I'm afraid the accommodation is somewhat spartan," Popo said. "But it is meant as a training facility, not as a hotel."

"That's fine by me," Gine said. "It has food, bathing facilities, medical supplies?"

"Yes. The bare necessities, though, so should you become badly injured, you may have to exit the Chamber temporarily for treatment. Keep in mind that the gravity is ten times that of the norm on Earth, though being a Saiyan, you are doubtless used to it. I heard that Planet Vegeta had the same gravity. The air is fairly thin, and the temperature can vary from about 50 degrees to minus 40 degrees Celsius. And given that much of the dimension is a featureless void, I would suggest not straying too far from the entrance. There is one last thing to keep in mind: due to the interactions between one's ki and the dimensions inside, nobody can go in for more than two years, Chamber time. Otherwise, the dimension becomes unstable. In short, you can only spend two years in there."

"Hopefully, one year will be enough," Trunks said as they came to the massive doors of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"It could be," Popo said. "Given the high gravity and perils inside, it would be equivalent to an even longer period of training in this dimension."

"King Kai once told me that training on his world for 158 days was like thousands of years on Earth," Goku mused. "And his world was ten times normal gravity. It's our best chance, and we're at a level where the Chamber would be useful instead of a torture. Once you guys go inside, I'll make my way over to New Namek, see if I can persuade one of them to become the new Guardian. Mom, Trunks, Lazuli, I have faith in you."

"Go kick some ass, Sis," Lapis said with a grin.

Lazuli nodded, and the three entered the Chamber…

* * *

To be told of the features and dangers of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was one thing. But the three who had entered stared at the void beyond the building they were in. Trunks, almost hesitantly, began stepping out, and found the gravity increasing as he moved out into the void.

Gine walked up beside him. "Yes, I know. It's overwhelming. You're nervous, Trunks, I can understand that. I'll be honest: so am I. Then again, this gravity makes me feel a bit nostalgic. It feels like home. I miss that ugly ball of rock. It was harsh, and so were my people, but it was home. And Frieza turned it into dust. Half of your genes come from Planet Vegeta, and as much as he's an egotistical son of a bitch, Vegeta is a strong warrior by most standards. You inherited his physical strength, Trunks, but your strength of character is your own."

Trunks nodded. "I know, it's just…I hoped he would accept me. But…when he was losing against me, he tries to kill my younger self, hoping to kill me. Thanks, by the way, for intercepting that beam."

"I'd do it again. Now, Trunks, I can't speak for Lazuli, but I'm a hard taskmaster. Our training is going to be hard and it's going to be harsh," Gine said.

"He's probably used to it, growing up as he did in the future where my brother and I went psycho," Lazuli remarked.

"Yes, but even so…if we're going to have a chance of stopping Cell…Trunks, unlike your father, I don't have an excess of pride. While I am proud of what I am, a Saiyan and a warrior, I don't care if someone else surpasses me. So you don't have to hold back out of sparing my pride. Also keep in mind that if you make mistakes, I'll point them out to you. If you think I have made a mistake, point it out. I may be older than you, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can't learn anything further. I've been training with Lazuli for some time now, so we've learned things from each other. This is gonna be a tough year, but you're gonna be stronger for it, I promise." Gine looked at Trunks and Lazuli. "We all are."

Trunks nodded. "I'm ready."

The two women nodded, and soon, they prepared to embark on a whole year's worth of training. It would be Hell, but they needed to do this, if they were to have a chance of stopping Cell…

 **CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Goku's awakened (ahead of schedule compared to canon, as the vaccine was given to him sooner), and the good guys have a plan. Unfortunately, so do the bad guys. Ah, ain't no rest for the wicked, and even less for the virtuous…**

 **Review-answering time!** **davidteague3950** **: I'm strongly considering having Gohan (who will still be the first to go Super Saiyan 2) actually do that, saving both Androids. And unlike in canon, where the transformation turns him into a cold-hearted sadist, Gohan only prolongs the battle because he wants to get the Androids out of Cell. It'll have the same consequences as in canon (Cell going apeshit, self-destructing, Goku probably having to sacrifice himself), but for different reasons. BTW, the writer of the manga is Akira Toriyama. Seriously, you don't know that? Anyway, as for making sure there's at least one female Super Saiyan, this was a bugbear for me too. The nearest thing we've come to it in canon is when Videl contributes to the Super Saiyan God ritual, and even then, she only gets the blonde hair and green eyes.**

 **1\. Why can only two people supposedly enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber when Buu and Piccolo are able to enter while Goten and Trunks are in there? This was my answer: they can only store so much food in there, even for Saiyan stomachs. Maybe more can enter if they were human or other beings. I also wrote in Mr Popo explaining, briefly, why there's a two-year time limit on people being able to use the Chamber.**

 **2\. Taken from** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **, shortly after Android 18 kisses Krillin.**


	13. Chapter 12: Convergence

**CHAPTER 12:**

 **CONVERGENCE**

Bardock, Bulma, and Krillin looked around the lab, with Bulma scowling as she examined a readout on one of the machines, a camera on her shoulder, recording it. "This thing's been used recently," she muttered. She looked at the other part of the machine. "It looks like some sort of cybersurgery device."

"I think I know who," Bardock said as he tapped at another screen. "Gero's got surveillance cameras in here, and I've just called up the footage. Looks like the Prince brought Gero here, turned him into an Android on Gero's instructions."

Krillin shuddered at the thought. "Great, so, we've got a Super Saiyan, an Android, and a bug-man who's basically a lot of us mashed into one being."

"We'll have to be careful then," Bulma said. "Gine and Trunks said Cell could regenerate like Piccolo could. And maybe he's got that Saiyan trait of becoming stronger every time he nearly dies. He obviously absorbs ki from people with that tail. Anyway, just keep looking. Can you sense any ki?"

Bardock and Krillin tried to…and eventually, they looked down. "Definitely something below. A small but concentrated ki signature. Where's the entrance to the sub-basement?" Krillin asked.

"Concealed." Bulma walked over to a corner, and then tapped part of the floor. A hatch appeared. "Look, you guys go first, okay? If there's automated defences, then you can handle them. Once you get through to the sub-basement…"

"We'll get you. Gotcha."

* * *

As it turned out, Gero put in some turret guns, but Bardock and Krillin made short work of them. Krillin came back for Bulma, and they were looking around the sub-basement laboratory. A massive computer worked away in the centre of the lab. And not far from it…

"Well, there he is," Bulma muttered, looking at the small tank where a curled-up lump of flesh floated. "This must be Cell. Our timeline's Cell, anyway."

"So, do I blast it?" Bardock asked.

"Hold your horses," Bulma said as she walked over to the massive computer. "The authorities gave me leeway to help secure the sub-basement. Why do you think I have the camera on my shoulder?" She peered at the computer, before bringing a portable hard-drive out and putting it into the computer, and then beginning to copy things over. "Actually, I was speaking to them on the way over about Vegeta's escape and Cell. Some of those involved remember the tournaments where you and Goku fought, Krillin. Nowadays, ki blasts are virtually unheard of. But some remember the attacks of Vegeta and Nappa. Hell, we had to pull some strings to prevent Vegeta from being arrested from his actions, though to be fair, Nappa did most of the destruction."

"Huh," Krillin said. "Shame he didn't get arrested, though I pity anyone who tries to slap handcuffs on him. Hey, Bulma, just out of interest, do you have any idea who the current champion of the Tenkai'ichi Budokai is? Between the Saiyans, Namek, and training for the Androids, I haven't been paying attention lately."

"Neither have I, not that much, but the thing is, that's mostly because the Tenkai'ichi Budokai has become pretty boring now. It's mostly fairly standard martial artists who can't use ki to save their lives. The current champion is Mark Hercule, who fights under the pseudonym of 'Mr Satan'," Bulma said. "He's actually not bad for a martial artist who can't use ki, and he's apparently pretty generous to charity, but he's also a showboating idiot, loud and egotistical. Not to mention a lech, though thankfully nowhere near the level of Master Roshi. I even did a little research on him. Apparently he had a bad run-in with Tao, the assassin Goku faced, and the one who Tien beat in that last Tenkai'ichi Budokai we went to. Tao murdered Hercule's master, but Hercule managed to escape with his life(1)."

"Yeesh. He's lucky to be alive," Krillin said. "Tao all but killed Goku when they first fought, from what Goku told me. And while we make it look easy, the truth is, Tao is much stronger than the average person." Krillin frowned. "Y'know, once this whole business with Cell is over, maybe we should pay this Hercule guy a visit, see whether he can learn how to use ki. That'd shake up the Tenkai'ichi Budokai up."

Bulma nodded, while she returned to the computer. "Wow," she muttered. "Doctor Gero was a bloody genius. Why the hell did he turn out the way he did? He could've made a fortune if he had founded his own company. Hell, he could've been a rival of Capsule Corporation."

Bardock snorted. "These idiots just want power, and not just corporate power. I mean, look at Frieza. He turned planetary conquest into a business, along with his father and brother. Have you found anything that might help us against Cell?"

"Not a thing. However, I can get rid of the indoctrination program that is feeding the embryo there knowledge of the others' moves, not to mention twisting it towards Gero's ideals of conquest and destruction." Bulma frowned. "Maybe we can try to save this one, like the Androids. At the very least, we're taking the embryo with us. If nothing else, we can analyse him, see if there's a weakness we can exploit."

"There's blueprints over here for Androids 16 through to…20," Krillin said as he looked at a nearby workbench with papers strewn all over it. "20 seems to be a new body for Dr Gero, and 19…seems to be some sort of fat clown or something. Huh."

"Take them with us," Bulma said. "We might need them anyway. Once we're out of here, we'll contact the others."

* * *

Piccolo had opted to join Android 16 in the search for Cell, with Tien deciding to join them after he had intercepted them, trying to find out what had caused those strange ki signatures he had sensed. 16 had to admit, he was grateful for their help. While his ki sensors were very precise, and could detect subtle changes above the norm, even from those suppressing their ki, the more 'eyes' (so to speak, as ki sensing didn't require eyes) he had to help him, the better.

He also had a couple of people to bounce ideas off. 16 didn't have that much of a creative mind per se, save where battle and strategy was concerned. He had been, after all, created for the singular purpose of killing Son Goku.

"So, we're heading to Nicky Town because you think Cell will go there next?" Tien asked.

"It is a logical supposition. If Cell sustains his existence by consuming humans for their ki, he would move quickly from population centre to population centre. Nicky Town is one of the larger population centres close to Gingertown, and it also is in a direction roughly away from the time machine the others found," 16 said. "I could be wrong, but I believe that it is a good place to start. In addition, I have been scanning for subtle spikes in ki. They may not be noticeable to your ki sensing abilities, but even while suppressing ki, control gets loosened, especially if they are moving at a fast pace along the ground. Flying uses too much ki to suppress it. However, even running fast will cause control to slip. Only in terms of milliseconds. I notice it because my sensors are calibrated to detect even these, albeit at a relatively short distance."

"Can you sense him?" Piccolo asked.

"I am not sure. However, I am picking up spikes of ki. Their precise location is unknown due to interference with background ki, but they are in the general vicinity of Nicky Town."

"Don't forget, we still have Vegeta to deal with. If he broke Dr Gero free…"

"It is possible that Vegeta brought Dr Gero back to the laboratory and placed his brain into an Android body. The facilities are there."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Piccolo demanded.

"I warned Bulma after I learned of his escape," 16 replied. "Now I am warning you. You will not be able to sense his ki, any more than you can sense mine, or Lapis or Lazuli. He may either use the same energy generators as we use, or else use an absorption model. If it is the latter, if he has jewel-like devices in the palms of his hands, do not allow him to grab you, and do not use ki blasts. He can absorb ki through those devices. I will concentrate on stopping Cell. By my estimate, I am considerably more powerful than him, but if Vegeta and Gero are there, especially if the latter has an Android body…"

Tien scowled. "We may be outmatched."

"Not necessarily. Piccolo, since your fusion with Kami, your power is greater than Vegeta's was, even in the Super Saiyan state. Tien, if you have to fight Gero, and he is not an absorption model Android, I suggest using a single _Kikoho_ to annihilate him. Do not use as much ki as to endanger your own life."

"What about the citizens of Nicky Town? We don't want them getting injured or killed during our fight, after all," Piccolo pointed out. And then, they felt it. Or rather, Piccolo and Tien felt it, and 16 saw it on his sensors. The ki signatures of the citizens of the town were fading, which meant that Cell was attacking.

"Regrettably, that seems to be a moot point. Come! We are almost there!" 16 declared.

* * *

Vegeta was getting increasingly frustrated. Cell had promised that he would become ever more stronger, and yet, here the Prince of All Saiyans was, watching Cell absorb the life-force of petty little humans. Only Cell's promise of helping him beat Kakarrot, his slattern of a mother, and his crotchspawn, along with Vegeta's own treacherous child, had him staying his tongue, and even then, it took a supreme effort of will. They had only just arrived, with Cell and Gero exchanging greetings, before Cell got down to the business of sucking the life-force from anyone he could catch.

However, when he felt the two ki signatures approaching, he smirked. The Namek, and that damned triclops. "Oi, Cell!" he yelled at the bug-man. "You might want to finish up, we've got company!"

"I know," Cell rasped, finishing absorbing a woman in a very painful and horrific manner. Many had fled, but he had absorbed enough for his purposes.

"There's _three_ approaching," Dr Gero said. "My Android body has a tracker, and it can track my Androids as well as ki. I believe my prodigal son wishes to fight."

"16 or 17?" Cell asked.

"The former, obviously. I based him on my own deceased son in form and personality. Sadly, that was not enough to stop him from betraying me," Gero remarked. "He's a wholly mechanical model too, so you can't absorb anything from him, and I estimate that he is more powerful than you currently. Use extreme caution, Cell."

"Thanks, Dad," Cell said with a grin. "What about the self-destruct or deactivation frequencies?"

"I will try to transmit them, but I wouldn't put it past that Briefs bitch to have changed them or even removed the bombs. I do know some structural weaknesses, though. And if nothing else, a good Solar Flare will work to blind them for long enough to kill them, or escape."

"The Prince of All Saiyans does not retreat!" Vegeta snarled.

"No, but apparently he can get his arse handed to him by a woman," came the voice of Tien, as Tien, Piccolo, and Android 16 appeared above them.

"Confirmed. Doctor Gero is using an energy generator model," 16 intoned. "Use extreme caution."

"You can say that again," Piccolo said.

"Use extreme caution," 16 said, albeit with a slight smile on his face, showing that, though with an artificial intelligence, 16 had a sense of humour.

"You dare to insult me, Prince Vegeta?!" Vegeta yelled at Tien.

"I'm just sayin'," Tien said as the three new arrivals descended to the ground. "Apparently Lazuli beat you senseless. And you only won against your son because you fought even dirtier than my own master did."

"Everything goes in a fight to the death," Vegeta sneered.

"Says the man who goes on and on about the 'pride' and 'honour' of the Saiyans," Piccolo scoffed.

As Vegeta growled, Cell said, with a smile, "As much as this little bit of trashtalk tennis is amusing, and it is, you didn't come here to talk. You came here to stop us, am I right? The disgraced student of the world's greatest assassin and his brother, the reincarnation of the infamous Demon King who turned out to be an alien slug-man, and my obsolete older brother who, as a ginger, is guaranteed to be a soulless machine anyway? All banding together to save the world? Don't make me laugh. Misfits banding together to save the world is a cliché that only happens in fiction. This is reality, and nothing can help you here."

Piccolo merely removed his cape and turban, letting the weighted clothing slam into the ground. The six fighters got into poses, ready to begin their fight. Then, on an unspoken cue, they clashed…

 **CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And here you are. Now, in case you're wondering, I'm still considering whether to have the Cell embryo from the main timeline become a good guy or not. Obviously the one from the alternate timeline is beyond redemption, but even so, one version of Cell helping the good guys? Hmm…**

 **Speaking of Cell, I like giving him a bit of personality. Not quite as volatile as that in** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **, though I have taken some cues from it, but a personality that's not so different from canon, and yet feels fresh, or at least fresher. Plus, him dissing 16 for being ginger seems in character for him.**

 **Also, note how I've introduced Hercule early. You'll notice that I'm calling him Hercule, and that 'Mr Satan' is his pseudonym. Before the weeaboos start complaining, please note that the names I use for this story are my personal choice. I added the 'Mark' that Akira Toriyama had revealed was his first name.**

 **Review-answering time! A couple of you are concerned about Gohan being a wimp. I actually like Gohan, given his uncertainty in battle, but he's not going to be a wimp. At least this time, Goku's actually going to tell him what the plan is (having Gohan turn Super Saiyan 2). However, he is still getting paired with Videl. The difference is that Gohan meets Videl a lot earlier than in canon, and so they meet on better terms than Videl being nosy about the Gold Fighter/Great Saiyaman. They'll both be stronger than canon, because Videl and her father learn the truth about ki earlier. While Hercule won't be using ki blasts any time soon, he'll certainly be more formidable by the time the Buu saga comes around.**

 **1\. Believe it or not, according to the Dragonball Wiki, this actually happened, and helped shape the personality of Hercule. Hercule and his martial arts master had apparently mocked Tao's hair.**


	14. Chapter 13: Tidings Both Welcome and Not

**CHAPTER 13:**

 **TIDINGS BOTH WELCOME AND NOT**

As he waited for his father to come back from New Namek, Gohan worked on his mind. It was something Bulma and Piccolo had suggested he do, and it was sold pretty quickly to Chi-Chi. Given all the things Chi-Chi had wanted crammed into his head over the years before they finally decided what he wanted to do, it was past time Gohan had a means of putting it together.

It was known as a method of loci technique, or, more colloquially, the memory palace technique. It was a mnemonic means of organising memory by constructing it like a location, like, say, a house. With his memory organised a little better, it might help him in combat, and certainly in academia.

His mind was already attuned to doing such things. He had undergone image training with both Piccolo and Krillin, especially the latter during the long trip to Namek. And learning how to sense ki required more than a little clarity of thought.

Just as he finished most of it, he felt a sudden surge in ki below. He walked over to the edge of the Lookout, Lapis joining him. "You sensed that, didn't you?" Lapis asked.

Gohan nodded. "Piccolo and Tien…against Vegeta and…well, with all those ki signatures, that must be Cell. I can't sense 16, of course, but I think he's fighting Cell, as Piccolo and Vegeta are clashing. Tien's fighting someone, but someone I can't sense."

"If Gero's teamed up with Cell and Vegeta like we suspected, I'd put money on him being turned into an Android," Lapis said with a scowl. "That's who Tien's fighting. Jeez, Cell's ki's giving me the creeps. And not just 'cause he's feeling like a lot of you guys. Can't you sense that malice, the bad vibes coming from him? I never wanted to be part of him before, and I sure as Hell don't want to be part of him now. Bloody Gero." Lapis frowned. "Hang on, Cell's weakening. 16 might be able to beat him."

"We can only be so lucky," Gohan said, with an unusual cynicism for his age. Then again, he had been through a lot of battles where the tide turned, and not for the better. "Tien's not doing so well, though Piccolo is holding his own. I hope he beats Vegeta." Gohan found it hard to forgive Vegeta for trying to murder Bulma and the younger Trunks. And he certainly remembered how vicious the Saiyan Prince had been during his initial skirmish on Earth, as well as his actions on Namek. True, he helped them out against the Ginyu Force and Frieza, but purely to survive long enough to get a wish for immortality. Vegeta had callously left Goku behind to face Ginyu and Jeice together, had threatened Dende's life to get his wish…and Gohan shuddered to think what Vegeta would have been like as an immortal. He certainly thought that he would have been only marginally better than Frieza as an immortal tyrant.

The truth was, Vegeta did have some small selfless moments. These small moments when the prideful prince showed a damaged person beneath. But they were overwhelmed by the man's Brobdingnagian ego. An ego that could never accept defeat because, as he was so wearily fond of reminding them, he was the Prince of All Saiyans. And that was how many Saiyans now? If you counted Gohan and Trunks, along with the still-gestating Selipa, Vegeta theoretically commanded a grand total of six Saiyans on Earth. Three adults and three children did not a kingdom make. And why didn't Vegeta ever call himself the King of All Saiyans, for that matter? It'd be unbearable, true, but given that his father was dead, Vegeta would be correct in calling himself a king.

Suddenly, Tien's ki dropped sharply, virtually disappearing, so much Gohan couldn't sense it anymore. Shortly afterwards, there was a brief flare of ki from Cell, and then, Piccolo's ki began dropping. Not as sharply as Tien's, but it seemed that both Tien and Piccolo had been injured, Tien more badly than the Namekian. Gohan didn't understand it: Vegeta's ki was actually smaller than Piccolo's from here. Not by a substantial amount, but if Vegeta was to win, he'd have to get lucky…

* * *

Piccolo knew that he was in really deep shit now. He was currently buried under the rubble of a building that Vegeta had blasted him into. Normally, Vegeta would probably not have been able to do that. But Cell, while fighting 16, had unleashed a Solar Flare. And Piccolo happened to be looking in Cell's direction when it happened.

Shortly beforehand, Gero had managed get in a lucky strike on Tien, breaking the fighter's spine. Enough to leave him, at best, a paraplegic, until they could use a Senzu bean. Gero had begun to torture Tien by stepping viciously on his arms, nearly distracting Piccolo with his cries of pain. However, Cell had managed to unleash the Solar Flare at just the right point. And then, Vegeta had taken advantage of that distraction to blast him into a building.

As he blasted the rubble off him with a roar, he realised he could no longer sense Cell or Vegeta's ki in the nearest vicinity. Or Tien's, for that matter. As his vision began to clear, he found 16 sprawled on the ground. "16! Are you all right?!" Piccolo demanded.

The Android didn't reply. He was still, too still. And Piccolo found himself limping over to the red-haired Android's side. "16!"

The Android's pale blue eyes opened, and he looked over at Piccolo. There was something a bit offputting about his gaze, though Piccolo didn't know why. "Reboot completed. My apologies, Piccolo, but Gero managed to activate my killswitch. He managed to hack me while you were in that building. I am instituting countermeasures to ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Where's Tien?" Piccolo demanded.

"A logical supposition is that he has been taken by our enemies," 16 said, scowling.

"But why?" Then, Piccolo realised with a horrified flash of insight. "Cell can consume ki and absorb people. He intends to do so with Tien!" He whirled to face 16. "16, you could track them earlier with your sensors. We need to find them!"

"I'm sorry, Piccolo, but due to Gero's hacking, my capabilities are currently reduced. My ki sensors are mostly offline. It will take some time for me to restore and recalibrate them, by which point it will be too late," 16 said. A scowl came over the Android's features. "My creator has much to answer for."

Before Piccolo could retort, he felt a familiar ki signature reappear. "Goku's back," he remarked. "He must've found a Namekian willing to become the new Guardian. 16, are you capable of continuing to fight?"

"In a minute. I am developing and installing countermeasures against any further hacking," 16 said. "If you intend to try and save Tien, I would suggest not doing so alone. In fact, as cold-blooded as it sounds, I would suggest waiting until we have defeated Cell. That way, we may be able to bring him back with the Dragonballs. I do not like suggesting such a course of action: to use the Dragonballs for such a thing is not a decision to be undertaken lightly. But with only two of us, we are in little condition to fight Cell, Gero, and Vegeta."

"So, what the hell do you suggest we do?!" Piccolo snarled, incensed. 16's logic was sound, true, but it made it no less aggravating to allow Tien to die, especially if it made Cell stronger.

"I intend to return to Capsule Corp, and upgrade my body and computer systems," 16 said, his icy blue eyes even colder than usual, brooking no argument. "It may also be that Vegeta decides to attack there, in order to draw the others out of hiding, so I can help protect Bulma and this timeline's Trunks. You can either accompany me, or head to the Lookout and protect the other Androids, in case Cell figures out where they are. Searching for Cell to stop his rampage may only lead to your demise, and while the Dragonballs' existence is no longer reliant on your own, we cannot afford to lose you as a skilled fighter. I hate having to make a decision to allow people to die, even if only temporarily. But I am also trying to consider the most optimal outcomes."

Piccolo glared at 16. It galled him to think of any outcome with so many people dying as optimal. But eventually, he conceded to 16's logic. "I'll head back to Capsule Corp with you. At least I might be able to do some good here on the ground than at the Lookout. And you might be right: Vegeta might target the others to try and lure Lapis and Lazuli to him."

And there was another reason. Piccolo had a really bad feeling about this. Who knew what Gero could have done to 16, apart from disabling him…

* * *

On the Lookout, a tearful reunion had just occurred between Gohan and Dende. The young Namekian had been a stalwart ally on Namek. Not a fighter by any means, but he was brave, and had an excellent ability to heal that had been brought forth by the Elder Namek Guru.

Soon afterwards, as Mr Popo led Dende away to help them recreate Shenron, Lapis went over to Goku. "I think we're going to need it before long, Goku," the dark-haired Android said. "We sensed a clash between our guys and Cell and his lackeys. I think Cell won. Piccolo's still kicking, but I don't know about 16 or Tien, and it's Tien that worries me more. Cell can feed on him, after all."

Goku nodded. Then, he tensed, and looked down at the Eath below. "That's Vegeta's ki. He's deliberately flaring his ki to get my attention. He wants me down there. This is a challenge."

"It's probably a trap as well," Lapis said, crossing his arms. "I'd bet any money Gero and Cell put him up to this to try and lure you away from us."

"I know," Goku said. "But if he knows anything about where Tien is, or what Gero or Cell are up to, I need to get down there and beat it out of him." Goku looked at Gohan. "Gohan, keep Lapis safe, and if the others get out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber before I get back, apprise them of the situation. If I'm not back by that time, get into the Time Chamber without me. Keeping the Androids away from Cell is the priority. If we need to, get Lazuli back in there. We may be only able to keep her in there for another day, but we need every edge we can get."

Gohan nodded, before saying, "Dad, please…don't take any unnecessary risks."

Goku chuckled solemnly as he put two fingers to his forehead in the familiar sign of Instant Transmission. "I think it's a bit late for that, son." With that, he concentrated, before disappearing with the distinctive flicker of Instant Transmission.

* * *

Training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was, to be honest, intense, in the same way that the ocean was a bit wet. And as much as Gine was less belligerent than other Saiyans, she still had that hunger for battle and getting stronger, tickling away in her mind. She was just better able to channel it, something that passed down to her son.

Sometimes, they trained together. Other times, they trained separately. Today had been one of those days, and Trunks looked pleased for some reason as they came back to the building in the middle of the void. The two Saiyans had been working on their Super Saiyan transformations, enhancing their power and honing their techniques, while Lazuli was working on enhancing her battle prowess, and creating new techniques.

"I think I found a whole new level of Super Saiyan, Gine!" Trunks said with an eager smile. Gine had to admit, Trunks, this future version, had been deprived of approval to some degree or another. Bulma of that timeline hadn't mistreated him at all by any means, and indeed had been a very loving mother under the circumstances, but the lack of his father, or of anyone with Saiyan strength (especially after Gohan was murdered by the Androids of that timeline), left him without anyone to be mentored by. He thus had a rather eager-to-please attitude. And as he couldn't do so to his father, over the time they spent here, he had latched onto Gine. And as Gine could both praise him and offer constructive criticism, their relationship had grown stronger.

"Well, let's see it, then," Gine said. "Is this derived from the Stage Two transformation?"

Trunks nodded. Lazuli rolled her eyes. "You mean that one where your muscles grow bigger? What do they do, grow even more so?"

Trunks looked a bit shamefaced, his face all the admission she needed. Lazuli, while still a decent person in this timeline, had a rather acerbic tongue. "Okay, let's see it," Gine said.

Trunks did so, concentrating, screaming as he went Super Saiyan, and then began pumping ki throughout his body. The second stage of the Super Saiyan transformation involved the muscles expanding noticeably. Not so much as to hamper movement, but boosting the power. This, however, was another matter entirely. Trunks was becoming little more than muscle.

After a time, he finished the transformation, and then he asked, "What do you think?"

"Nice power output," Gine said. "The sheer power in this transformation is astonishing. But there's one thing you didn't take into consideration. Well, I think you didn't." Gine transformed into her Super Saiyan state. "I'll demonstrate. Try to hit me."

Trunks, after a moment, lunged forward, but Gine dodged easily. He tried again and again, only for her to dodge them. After a moment, he realised what she meant. "I'm stronger than ever," he said, more to himself than to her, "but I'm slower too."

"Right," Gine said, releasing her transformation. "Against an opponent who can't get out of the way, it'd be devastating. But the bulk of your muscles get in the way. That second stage we both reached seems to be an optimal mix of power and speed. But the stage you're in now…I'm sorry, Trunks, but unless you can make yourself faster in that state, I think we should work on the stage just below it. I think that stage you're in is the limit of the first full level of a Super Saiyan transformation."

"But you think there's a level beyond that?" Trunks asked as he reverted back to normal.

"Goku and I believe so," Gine said. "We also think that, given your higher power levels at your ages, it'd be either you or Gohan, or even both, who might be able to reach that next level first. Let's call that Super Saiyan 2 for convenience, and what we've been working on just different stages of the regular transformation. Trunks, I won't lie to you: you have the potential to be stronger than me or Goku, and certainly stronger than your father. But you're also young and inexperienced. That's what we're here for."

"Besides, by the time you're done here, you should be more than strong enough to deal with our alternates," Lazuli said.

"Yeah, you're stronger than they were," Trunks said. "And Lazuli…thanks. Both of you, thanks."

"I don't mind," Lazuli said. "To be honest, it's pretty disturbing hearing how far I could have fallen. How much Gero could have corrupted my brother and I, and how much we took it out on the world. But I'm not training you to take them on per se. I'm helping to make sure we can take on Cell, and get rid of him. Because I'll be damned before I become part of that monster."

"I won't let you be absorbed by Cell, Lazuli," Trunks declared. "Not if I can help it."

Lazuli smirked. "Good. Now, we'd better keep this up. No sense in wasting the training we can get in here…"

 **CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Sorry this was a long time in coming. I literally had no idea how to write the fight against Cell, Gero, and Vegeta, and I'm frankly shit at writing battle scenes anyway. That being said, while writing the scenes with Gine, Trunks, and Lazuli, I got an idea regarding 16, an idea that will come into play. What may be a _deus ex machina_ with 16 being hacked by Gero and leaving Tien with Cell will turn into something more interesting in the next chapters. Which, hopefully, will come out quicker. No promises. The next chapter will be mostly in Capsule Corp, though…**

 **Review-answering time! Juliedoo: I actually thought about how to make the story different, as well as point out some of the plot holes in the story. I decided to make things a bit more logical, but without taking away the essence of _Dragonball_.**

 **Cryptic Saiyan : Not if he was overwhelmed by his hatred for Goku and the others. Vegeta's pride is paramount, born of his supreme self-confidence. Unlike in canon, his thought of having a good battle snatched away from him has poisoned his mind against Goku, and he doesn't care about Goku being at his best. Vegeta's pride has VERY thin skin even in canon.**

 **Gabriel Herrol : There are no plans to bring in Broly in any shape or form. As for Cell absorbing Lapis and Lazuli, I would say yes, if they are stronger, then they would make Cell stronger than in canon.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	15. Chapter 14: Trojan Horse

**CHAPTER 14:**

 **TROJAN HORSE**

As Goku flickered into being on a familiar plain, he dived to the side as a ki blast rocketed towards him. He looked around, and spotted Vegeta on a nearby cliff, looking haughtily down at him, in his Super Saiyan state, looking like some ancient, arrogant blonde god who believed everything in the world was his by dint of merely existing.

* * *

Elsewhere in the multiverse, in a darkened church, Gilgamesh sneezed twice, before scowling. Some mongrel was talking imprecations about him behind his back.

* * *

"Vegeta," Goku said, looking up at the man who considered himself his superior. "Where's Gero and Cell? Where's Tien?"

"I don't know, and I could care less," Vegeta sneered. "The Prince of All Saiyans does not concern himself with such minutiae. That is for lower-class trash like yourself."

"Are your wife and child also 'minutiae'?" Goku retorted. "I was told of what happened when I had the heart virus. You tried to murder them, all because your own son was beating you. You may take pride in murdering non-combatants, but I don't! There's no pride to be taken in killing the helpless!"

"The strong dominate the weak, Kakarrot!" Vegeta snarled. "That is a fundamental law of the universe! It is the fundamental creed of the Saiyans!"

"And how many living Saiyans agree with that creed? How many of your alleged subjects, Vegeta?"

"Fool. What would I care about what lower-class trash thinks? I'm the Elite, more powerful by default. You should have killed me when you had the chance, Kakarrot. You should have let that bald midget Krillin kill me with that sword. Instead, you showed mercy. Now shut up and fight me, KAKARROT!"

As Vegeta lunged, Goku quickly transformed, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't playing into the hands of the enemy…

* * *

In the medical laboratory, Bulma peered at the tank containing the embryonic form of Cell, this timeline's Cell. It had been surprisingly easy to move: Gero had actually put a capsule mechanism into it, so that it could presumably be moved on short notice as a capsule, Cell being put into stasis. She had set it up quite close to the tank containing the form of Selipa, who'd be decanted soon. And apparently Chi-Chi had recently expressed wanting to have another child with Goku.

Selipa, a pure-blooded Saiyan, little sister of Goku. And Cell, a chimaera created from Saiyan, Namekian, human, and whatever species Frieza was mashed together. Two living beings that were effectively future weapons of mass destruction.

But what constituted nature, and what was nurture? Goku certainly embodied part of it. True, his Saiyan nature gave him a lust for battle, but he was far from the brutal warriors most Saiyans were. Bulma wondered what made Gine like her son. What her upbringing, as a relatively weak Saiyan amongst that warrior race, was like? Gine didn't like to talk about her childhood, and neither did Bardock. Bardock was more of a pragmatist.

Bulma had to wonder, what made Saiyans like Vegeta, or beings like Frieza into such evil creatures? For Vegeta, having known the man for too long in her opinion, she thought she knew the answer, partly because she saw a little of herself in him: a spoiled heir to a throne, even if her throne was corporate rather than in government. Bulma liked to think she had grown out of that, or at least enough. But Vegeta…he was raised to be the Prince of All Saiyans, the leader of a warrior race. Naturally, he thought he had to be the best by default.

What had she seen in him, other than a very dark reflection of herself? If she had to guess, it was the pain inside. A man who had lost his people, and his chance for revenge. A man who, given time and effort, could eventually turn good, away from the influence of Frieza. And he had been so nice when she nursed him back to health. There was a good man within Vegeta, buried deep underneath the pride and ego and malice. The problem was, she wasn't sure that man wasn't dead now. What sort of man would willingly try to murder his wife and child in order to gain an advantage in a fight?

Still, if the alternate future version of Trunks was any indication, there was nothing that couldn't be said if she couldn't have further children. She'd just do it without having to go through sexual intercourse. Bulma had gotten various cell samples from Vegeta to test and experiment on, including spermatozoa. Hell, she had cell samples from all the others, including Lapis and Lazuli, though Vegeta was the only one to donate sperm. Maybe she might be able to use IVF, get a girl this time.

Trunks, her own Trunks, was currently being nursed by Krillin, who turned out to be surprisingly good with babies. Then again, apparently he and Lazuli were considering having children: Lapis and Lazuli still had that capability. And Krillin and Lazuli had grown close during this time. Bulma thought it adorable, not to mention that Krillin was apparently a very attentive boyfriend. She remembered back when Krillin was a bit more of a bratty ex-shaolin monk. Bulma was glad he had matured, even if she didn't quite notice it until after he got Lazuli. Still, better Lazuli than that airhead Maron.

She looked at Cell's embryonic form, and shuddered. Such power, locked away in the potential within a tiny, malformed body. According to the notes they managed to find, they could potentially accelerate Cell's growth. The reason why Gero had made it so slow was to indoctrinate Cell as thoroughly as possible, something that was harder to do with biological organisms (for Gero, anyway) rather than with cyborgs or artificial intelligences.

After a moment's thought, she activated the procedure that would begin this Cell's accelerated growth. As she did so, she heard a trill from the intercom on the wall, and picked it up. "Bulma here."

" _Hey, Bulma?_ " Krillin's voice came through. " _Piccolo and 16 just got back. Apparently Cell's got Tien, and 16 got hacked by Gero. He's looking to upgrade himself, prevent this from happening again. Goku is fighting Vegeta, we can feel their ki._ "

"I'll head down to the robotics lab now," Bulma said, feeling some disquiet at learning about Tien being taken by Cell. Given what they were told of the fate of Gingertown's residents, Tien might now be food for Cell.

* * *

As 16 began connecting himself to the various computers in the robotics labs, Bulma listened to Piccolo relating what happened, Krillin and Bardock looking on, with Krillin cradling the sleepy baby Trunks. "Okay, so you got ganked by a Solar Flare, and 16 got hacked. Why didn't Cell or Gero or Vegeta finish you guys off?"

"Cell's no match for 16, and I'm still stronger than Vegeta," Piccolo said. "I guess they didn't want to take the risk until Cell is stronger, though they seem to be using Vegeta to distract Goku. The fact that Gero was able to hack 16 was pretty disturbing, though. It means his Android body is capable of electronic warfare."

"But why stop at merely deactivating 16 and taking him out of commission? I know we took the bombs out, but why not try to have him self-destruct?" Bulma mused out loud. "Gero could have melted his CPU into slag if he had root access. I should have checked for any backdoors."

Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurred to her. She couldn't believe it, but then, as 16 lay down on the bench, wires running into access ports in his head and neck, she said, "Wait. Before you connect to the Capsule Corp network, I want you isolated from it while I do some checks."

16 glared at her. Then, he gestured at screens which began showing error messages, before showing the logo of the Red Ribbon Army. "You are too late, Bulma Briefs." He then snatched Trunks away from Krillin, before sending the diminutive shaolin monk flying into Bardock with a kick.

Suddenly, there was a susurration from the PA system. " _Ah, most excellent, 16_ ," came the by-now familiar voice of Doctor Gero, his face appearing on the screen. " _A machine should not go against the will of its creator. That was why I created this little Trojan. A Trojan within a Trojan. 16 has acted as the horse, carrying the actual Trojan malware which is currently running like wildfire throughout Capsule Corporation's computer systems. It's a shame I had to hack 16 and bring his loyalties back into line with my own, but sadly, I have had enough with my creations going against my will, my creed. Capsule Corporation works with biohazards and other dangerous things. I knew you had a lockdown mechanism somewhere: Vegeta remembered you bragging about the facilities. As of now, Capsule Corporation is in lockdown. Nothing goes in or out, and the emergency services are staying away for the moment, believing a biohazard has escaped. Well, I say nothing goes in, but you should expect company. And not just my creation and I: we've managed to get some guests._ "

He then lowered what turned out to be a mirror in front of his face, showing what he saw through his eyes: it was the interior of Son Goku's home, with Chi-Chi, bruised and with blood drooling from her lips, along with Yamcha, Tien, and Chiatozu, all in similar conditions. The grotesque form of what had to be Cell was standing over them, grinning with his beak-like mouth. " _Son Goku may be powerful, but one truly crippling weakness he has is his compassion_ ," Gero said. " _He lets enemies go free and alive, only to have them sting him like the scorpion stinging the bullfrog, or be a liability. Vegeta and 16 are prime examples of that, as is myself. He should have killed me when he had the chance. He should have destroyed the Androids. Instead, I will show him his folly, when I unleash Perfect Cell on the world._ "

"You won't be able to get the Androids!" Piccolo snarled. "We've hidden them!"

" _I'm well aware, thanks to my hacking 16, that they're on Kami's Lookout_ ," Gero said. " _16 can head there to capture them once we've secured Capsule Corp. Their erstwhile guardians will not interfere, not unless they want their friends to die._ "

"Coward," Piccolo sneered.

" _Pragmatist_ ," Gero retorted. " _And you have nothing to talk about, Piccolo. You used Tien as a hostage while fighting Son Goku. You may not be exactly Demon King Piccolo anymore, but the same capacity exists within you. People like you use brute strength to get your way. I use whatever I can, not just muscle. Your morality is a weakness, and thus, it will lead to the downfall of all of you. We'll be coming soon. Be sure to roll out the red carpet, Bulma Briefs, or else I will take umbrage._ " The picture then vanished, to reveal the logo of the Red Ribbon Army once more.

"You are my prisoners," 16 said coldly. "Do not attempt to resist. Otherwise, Trunks will suffer."

* * *

It was an odd thing to be prisoner in one's home, but extremely unpleasant all the same. Bulma, worried about her son, had wandered back to the medical labs. The communications network of Capsule Corp was down. Her treacherous husband was coming, along with friends and foes, the former being hostages. If she didn't do anything, then Gero and his abominable creation would be free to wreak havoc.

Bardock, Krillin and Piccolo were currently with her parents. The security robots of Capsule Corp were now either disabled, or else commanded by 16 to round up the employees currently working. 16, meanwhile, still had Trunks. The baby, anyway. Bulma was wracking her brains, trying to think of a way to try and get her son back intact.

It was when her eyes fell on the tank containing Cell, the one from this timeline, that a desperate notion came to her. She then went over to the samples of Lapis and Lazuli, and extracted them, before she went over to the tank. She must be mad to even consider this…or truly desperate. Already, the embryonic form of Cell was growing even more. But free of the indoctrination of Doctor Gero…he was a blank slate.

Nature versus nurture, Bulma thought as she began preparing the samples, connecting the plastic tubes to a feed into the tank. She didn't know if it'd work, and maybe it was too dangerous to try. But her family and friends were hostages to ensure that the Androids would fuse with Cell. Desperate measures were called for.

The moment that Lapis and Lazuli's samples became infused with the Cell embryo, a pulsating glow began to appear from within the creature. It began to grow even more.

"You should not have done that," intoned the monotone of 16, who was standing in the doorway, glaring at her, Trunks in his arms. The half-Saiyan was crying. "Gero and the others are on their way. You have just complicated things."

"You threatened my son," Bulma snarled back as the room began to shake. "You made me desperate. You betrayed us, 16, even if it was unwillingly. Of course I'm going to complicate things. Maybe I did something really stupid, but hey, I've done a lot of those things in my life. Flashing that old perv Roshi, trying to tackle the Red Ribbon Army, heading to Namek…this is just next in line."

"It will be your last, Bulma," 16 said. And she realised, he looked saddened at this. "Goodbye. I will look after your son." He left the laboratory and locked the door, just in time for the laboratory to be consumed in light.

* * *

Bulma didn't know how long she was unconscious, or semiconscious at any rate. She had been thrown into a wall by the blast. Her eye wandered over to the tank containing Selipa, and noted that, thankfully, the worst it suffered was a small chip. The life-support was still going.

But when her eyes focused on the tank that once contained Cell from this timeline, she was in for a shock. The tank itself was a shattered ruin, along with the surrounding apparatus. Crouched in front of it was a most extraordinary figure.

It was somewhere between insect and man, much of its body covered in a light green carapace mottled with black spots. From its back, a pair of black, wing-like protrusions sprouted forth. Its head had a sort of bifurcated crest. But its face was very chillingly human, even handsome, in a cold, ascetic way, pale skin surrounded by purple and then yellow. The eyes were magenta. The creature was the height of a teenager (like her boy, the one from the future, she thought deliriously), but it was clearly strong.

Dazed, Bulma could only watch in horror as Cell (for what else could it be?) turned its gaze onto her. Her body wasn't working right. Some sort of concussion, she thought detachedly, in the part of her mind that wasn't screaming in fear. Cell then crawled over, peering at her with the same curiosity that a cat might peer at a mouse. And she just knew she was going to be toyed with before being killed.

She shut her eyes as Cell reached out a pale hand with black nails. "I'm sorry, everyone," she whimpered. "I doomed us all…"

 **CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Yeah, I'm evil, leaving things like that on a cliffhanger. Now, before we get onto the next chapter, let's have some thought about New Cell (as I'm calling the one in this timeline) and his power level. Because he only obtained samples from Lapis and Lazuli rather than absorbing the Androids wholesale, not to mention that he wasn't fully grown before Bulma infused him with those samples, he's actually weaker than the canon Perfect Cell. Hell, he's about as strong as Imperfect Cell. But, and here's the critical part, he has much better potential. Because he didn't absorb the Androids, he can't regurgitate them if he gets hit the wrong way, so he is Perfect forever. He can train himself to even greater heights than his canon counterpart.**

 **But will the lack of indoctrination mean that he's a good guy? Wait and see…next time, on** ** _Dragonball Z!_** **Imagine that's Kyle Hebert saying that. Don't worry, it'll be resolved in the next chapter first up.**

 **Oh, and for all of those fearing for 16, don't worry, he'll be back to normal. How soon it is depends on how the story goes…**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	16. Chapter 15: Potential Apoptosis

**CHAPTER 15:**

 **POTENTIAL APOPTOSIS(** **1)**

Goku had fought Vegeta twice before. The first was when Vegeta first came to Earth, in the company of his brutal retainer Nappa. The second time was when Vegeta came back to Earth after his training, and found the Androids allied with the others. During that fight, Goku came down with the heart virus. Both times were acrimonious. But this time was even more so. Goku was in danger of losing himself to his Saiyan battle-lust, which was heightened in his Super Saiyan state. But he needed to focus. Despite Vegeta's claims to the contrary, he had to know something of Gero and Cell's plans.

As it turned out, Goku didn't need to beat it out of him. Vegeta merely smirked after managing to catch Goku with a glancing blow, sending him sprawling some metres away. "By the way, Kakarrot, how's the wife doing?"

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Goku demanded, getting to his feet. Vegeta was striding arrogantly towards him. "Did you lead Gero and Cell to them?!"

"They already knew where you lived, Kakarrot," Vegeta said. "They're vile and base creatures, but they serve their purpose. With their help, I will ascend back to the pinnacle of all, where I belong."

"Gero and Cell are using you!"

"No, _I_ am using _them!_ Once I am done with them, I will dispose of them. Just as I will dispose of you, Kakarrot. I will leave you alive and broken, long enough to see the life snuffed out from your family! You and your whore of a mother stole many things from me! My pride, my chances for immortality and killing Frieza, being the first Super Saiyan of our time! The Androids were but the final insult!" Vegeta grinned. "Cell will kill the Androids. He will help me surpass you all…before he dies."

"Vegeta…did Cell tell you how he'd make you stronger?" Goku said, glaring at his foe. "Did he tell you that he would absorb those Androids to make himself stronger?"

Judging by the look on Vegeta's face, Cell hadn't told him how he would get stronger. "The Androids are supposed to make him Perfect. Of course, you're either perfect, or you're not me."

Before they could continue, a wave of ki washed over them, a familiar signature by now. "Cell!" Goku hissed in dismay. It was coming from Capsule Corp.

"Yes…" Vegeta said. "As I thought, he's become Perfect already…and that power level is nothing compared to me. Let him stand astride his own pitiful pedestal before I topple him from it."

 _He can't have become Perfect_ , Goku thought. _Lazuli should still be in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Trunks and my mother. It could be that he had somehow managed to capture Lapis, but I would have sensed a battle at the Lookout, unless he surprised them. Gohan's ki hasn't changed, and neither has Mr Popo's. No, something else is going on. Wait…is that a_ _ **second**_ _Cell I can sense? What the hell is going on?_

"Stop worrying yourself, Kakarrot," Vegeta sneered. "I'm your opponent. _NOW FIGHT ME!_ "

As Vegeta lunged forward, Goku hoped he could stop him soon. He needed to help the others, but Vegeta wouldn't give him the chance to concentrate and use Instant Transmission to get to them…

* * *

Bulma felt the cool skin of Cell's hand on her face. Strangely, despite her understandable panic, it was surprisingly soothing. But what was even more surprising were the words, spoken in a gentle, if deep and rich voice.

"Why are you afraid of me?"

Bulma's eyes snapped open, meeting those of Cell, who was peering at her curiously. "Are you my creator?" he asked.

Bulma shook her head vehemently. "No, no…we…we took you away from him." Then, realising she might have made a mistake saying that, she added, hastily, "Dr Gero is your creator. Do you know that?"

Cell, standing, shook his head. "No. I only know that I had a creator, and that I had a purpose. My mind is filled with words, techniques. Words like Kamehameha, or Gallick Gun." He stared at his hands. "And I was to absorb Androids 17 and 18…to achieve Perfection…and yet…I feel whole. Have I absorbed them?"

"No. I gave you a sample of their cells…well, what Gero made their cells into. They're friends, I don't want them eaten."

"Friends…I don't have friends," Cell murmured. "There was someone I was to kill…Son Goku…but never why. And always this exhortation to become Perfect. And then, I didn't hear the voice anymore. To tell the truth, it was a relief not to hear it anymore. It was maddening, even when it taught me so many things. Words and concepts." After a moment, he asked, a frown on his face, "You said you took me away from my creator. Why?"

"Because…he was planning something bad. It's like…with kids who are being raised by a bad father. They're taken away and raised by someone else," Bulma said. "I just thought…instead of destroying your tank, I might be able to raise you away from the computer. That was the voice you heard, a computer Gero used to try and indoctrinate you."

Cell blinked, and then his frown deepened. "Why did you give me those samples from 17 and 18?"

"Because my family is being threatened by Gero, and…I thought maybe you could help. I was desperate, I wasn't thinking straight. But my son…he's being held hostage, as are my parents, and my friends. Like I said, I was desperate, and I'm babbling, and…" With that, she began to sob, putting her face in her hands.

After a moment, she pulled herself together, and got, shakily, to her feet. "I guess I was an idiot anyway. Even if you aren't anything like your other self, you've no reason to help us."

"Other self?"

"It's a long story involving time travel and alternate timelines," Bulma said, waving her hand dismissively. "I only heard about him, I haven't actually met him, yet, though I saw him briefly with Dr Gero when he hijacked our systems." She shook her head. "Never mind. I…"

Suddenly, the door burst in, and the diminutive form of Krillin entered. "Bulma?! Are you all right?" He then registered the presence of Cell. "Whoa! What's that?!"

"Krillin…this is Cell, the one we got from the lab," Bulma said. "I introduced him to samples we got from Lapis and Lazuli. Krillin, are the others still with my parents?"

"Yeah, Bardock and Piccolo are still with them, but we sensed that huge ki surge…16 didn't stop me from getting here, though. I think I can sense Vegeta and Goku fighting quite a while away," Krillin said. "This is Cell? He looks pretty damn different from the one we saw on the screen. Why did you infuse him with those samples?"

"I was desperate, okay? I thought I might be able to persuade him to help us!" Bulma retorted.

"I'm right here, you know," Cell remarked, folding his arms.

"I know," Krillin said. "That's what's scaring me."

Suddenly, the building shook, for the second time in perhaps ten minutes. Krillin yelped, "What was that?"

"Probably Gero and his Cell entering. They'd have to break in somewhere out of sight, given that we're in lockdown."

"If they are back, then how long do you think it's going to be before Gero's Cell starts eating us?" Krillin asked.

"If he does that, he won't have any hostages," Bulma said.

"Not gonna lie, Bulma, but I don't think he gives a crap," Krillin said. "They'll probably send 16 to the Lookout to try and snatch Lapis and Lazuli, and if that happens, we're seriously screwed!"

Bulma scowled, before she plucked the sample tubes from the ruins of the tank, and threw them into a chute marked 'Incinerator'. "Just in case the wrong Cell gets a hold of them."

"Is there even a right Cell?" Krillin asked.

"Again, I'm right here, you know," Cell remarked.

"Who's right there?" rasped a voice. And then, Cell, the future version rather than the present version, walked in, and stared, his slitted pupils meeting the magenta irises of his counterpart. "Oh."

The present form of Cell frowned, looking the more insectoid version of himself up and down, before remarking, "I'm glad I skipped over that phase. I wonder, though, is meeting like this liable to cause an explosion from a paradox(2)?"

"What the actual _fuck?_ " the future Cell rasped. "Are you me? Ah, you must be the one who was still in Gero's lab. Though how you managed to gain your Perfect form already…how? HOW DID YOU DO IT?! TELL ME!"

"And why, pray tell, should I divulge that?" Perfect Cell asked.

"Because we're the same!" Imperfect Cell (as Bulma privately denoted the more grotesque insect chimaera as) snapped. "We are twin brothers, separated only by time and relative dimensions in space!"

"And if you knew how to do it, would you leave all these people alone?" Bulma asked.

"Puh-lease," Imperfect Cell sneered. "I am a Perfect being, or at least I will be, about to go through the ultimate apotheosis to a level above such petty concerns as morality. Power gives me the licence to do what I will. Lesser beings are my playthings, to be discarded at my whim. Perfection, by its very definition, means that I am the supreme being…with no equals or betters. Only lessers."

"Then by _that_ logic," Perfect Cell said with a smirk, "I am already _your_ superior by dint of reaching my Perfect form already, and thus have no need to divulge what I know. Besides, you are disgusting."

"I'm you!" Imperfect Cell snarled.

"With no élan, grace, style, or lips," Perfect Cell said. "Out of the two of us, which would have the best chance of getting a kiss?"

In the silence that followed, Bulma couldn't help but laugh. "He's got a point there, Bug Boy. How many women would want to kiss a beak on an oversized cicada?"

"Your opinion was neither asked for or wanted, Bulma Briefs! Besides, you're one to talk about kissing and other intimate acts, spreading your legs for that narcissistic drama queen with the pointy hair and the short man complex," Imperfect Cell sneered.

Bulma slapped him, but only ended up bruising her hand. "Like I said, you have no élan, grace, style, or lips," Perfect Cell said. "I believe I have taken offence to you." He put his index and middle finger to his head, as if in thought. "What to do, what to do…" Suddenly, energy crackled around his fingers, and he pointed them at his Imperfect counterpart. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" he roared.

Imperfect Cell dodged the corkscrew beam of ki, which lanced through several walls before exploding. Perfect Cell lunged, and soon, the two versions of the same bioengineered creature were brawling their way through walls. Bulma paused only to check on Selipa's tank, and found that Selipa could safely be decanted, before she yelled at Krillin, "Take me to the others! With those two brawling, it might distract Gero and 16 long enough for us to escape! We need to find Trunks as well!"

"How far do you think we'll be able to get?!" Krillin demanded as Bulma drained the tank and pulled Selipa out, allowing the Saiyan infant to cough out the liquid sustaining her.

"Far enough! We need to evacuate Capsule Corp before those guys bring it down around us!"

* * *

They found not only the Briefs, Bardock and Piccolo there, but also Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Tien and Chiatozu. Those four, being injured, were being tended to by the others. "What the hell happened?!" Piccolo demanded.

"I may have doomed us all," Bulma said, Selipa crying in her arms. "Or, at best, I've managed to rustle up a distraction to get the hell out of here. I'm sincerely hoping it's the latter, and only the latter. With any luck, we might have a new ally."

Suddenly, Bulma was sent flying as Gero entered, smashing her aside. She was lucky he restrained himself, or else she'd be pulp, along with Selipa. "So, you attempt to defy me?" Gero sneered as he picked up Selipa. "Well, I guess this Saiyan child will be the first to die."

As Gero prepared to kill Selipa, Bardock lunged, only to be backhanded away by Gero. "Get away from my daughter!" Bardock hissed.

"Why? If you are indeed the father of Son Goku, then this brat will grow up to be as troublesome, if not more so," Gero sneered. "Maggots turn into flies."

* * *

As Bardock watched on in horror, Gero's hand seemed to descend on the crying form of his daughter in slow motion. Bardock felt the emotion, the fury at his own impotency welling up within him, the anger at it, the pure anger at being unable to do anything. His wife and his son were both Super Saiyans. That damned Prince was one. But Bardock wasn't, and it was going to get his daughter, his flesh and blood, killed, because _he wasn't strong enough_.

The dam broke, just in time. The whirlwind of golden ki surrounded Bardock. The surprise and hesitation of Gero allowed enough time for Bardock to snatch his daughter away, and thrust her into Krillin's arms. He then glared at Gero with emerald eyes, golden hair glowing above them. "You're _dead_ , you bastard," Bardock snarled. "You just haven't realised it yet." And with that proclamation, he surged forward…

 **CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And there you have it. This chapter and the previous one were originally a bit different, with my forgetting that Goku had left the Lookout to try and help the others originally. I modified it, then, to give him something to do.**

 **Incidentally, a couple of new characters will be introduced in the next chapter (which will be a while coming). It's a bit contrived, but even so…**

 **1\. This title is a bit of a clever pun. Apoptosis is the technical term for cell suicide…which, considering Cell is fighting himself, is kind of appropriate.**

 **2\. This is a reference to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect from** ** _Doctor Who_** **. Although mentioned a few times in other ways, it's shown to have literally explosive implications in** ** _Mawdryn Undead_** **.**


	17. Chapter 16: A Fateful Rescue

**CHAPTER 16:**

 **A FATEFUL RESCUE**

In the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Lazuli was looking at Gine and Trunks as they ate breakfast. "Oh great," she said with a touch of acid to her tone. "We match. Maybe I should get some hair gel to spike up my hair so we can pass as triplets or something."

"Don't knock it, Lazuli," Gine said. "This is actually what I had hoped to achieve. Same with Goku. We wanted to find a way to prolong the Super Saiyan state without conscious control, or the emotional instability."

Trunks nodded. "It's odd. I feel normal, and yet, usually, while I'm a Super Saiyan, there's that need for control over my rage. This is…odd. But not in a bad way. I feel completely and utterly at peace."

Lazuli examined the two Super Saiyans, who had gone to bed last night (insomuch as there was a night in this place) like that and had stayed that way all night. Even now, their hair was golden, and their eyes green, but there was a normality to their expressions that wasn't normally there. "Do you still think there's a whole level beyond this? I mean, besides hulking out?" Lazuli said.

"I'm certain of it. I used to work in an abattoir back home on Planet Vegeta, but I liked to read on occasion. That included legends of the Super Saiyan. Most claimed that the legendary Super Saiyan was a godlike warrior, invincible and immortal. That's probably why Vegeta and Frieza were so fixated on it, Vegeta out of hope of beating Frieza, and Frieza out of fear of someone strong enough to kill him, aside from his family. But I read something in a very obscure book, written by a Saiyan scholar considered to be a heretic amongst our people, Shuskwa(1). He was a known satirist, so many of what he said has to be taken with a pinch of salt, and he was known for having sympathies for the Tuffles. But he claimed to have found ancient writings describing the stages of a Super Saiyan. I'd almost forgotten them until I saw your Stage 2 transformation, Trunks, and I'm only now beginning to realise he may have been on to something. For all of Shuskwa's satire, he may have found something."

"What did he say?" Trunks asked.

"I have to paraphrase what he said. Leaving aside the fact that it's been years since I read it, Shuskwa's writing style was irreverent. The first level of Super Saiyan, he called the Golden Warrior, and the muscled stages, he called False Ascensions. The true ascended state, what we could call a Super Saiyan 2, he called the Cold Lightning. He claimed there were stages even above that: the Heavy-Browed, the Missing Link, and the Red and Blue Gods(2). The latter ones, I found a bit ridiculous, as you need some sort of ceremony and the pure hearts of six Saiyans to transform. I mean, leaving aside the ceremony bit, where would you find six pure-hearted Saiyans? I can only think of maybe two offhand, three if we count you, Trunks. I speak of Goku and Gohan, of course."

"You're pretty pure, Gine," Trunks said.

"I'm flattered. But my son and grandson are purer than me. Oh, I was a pacifist, but I willingly sent my children to other planets to kill other planets," Gine said. "I doubt I'd be going to Hell, but they have a purity I wouldn't be able to match. Anyway, I believe that what we'll call Super Saiyan 2 is possible, but I don't think we'll be able to force it to happen, not without danger. Training while remaining in…let's call this Stable Super Saiyan. Training in this state will help. And if we do manage to reach the Super Saiyan 2 state…well, we'll need it, I'd say…"

* * *

Mark Hercule, better known to his fans under his stage name of 'Mr Satan', was tired. He had gone to West City to watch a fighting bout with his daughter, only for the damn thing to be cancelled. He had to rush around looking for another day out, and finally managed to find an amusement park, but they had to wait until the next day to go there. And now, he was taking her home, the sun setting.

Videl was worried, and Hercule had to admit he was too, about a series of mass killings that had occurred over the past two days. Who or what caused them, nobody knew, and indeed, people seemed to disappear, leaving only their clothes. Hercule knew that if anyone tried to do that to his daughter, he'd fight them, even if the killer was stronger than he was. Oh, he was afraid. He was afraid that, whoever or whatever this was, they were stronger than him, stronger even than that Tao guy. But if there was one thing he would be willing to die for, it would be to protect his daughter. With his wife gone, having walked out on him (admittedly because he had been in bed with another woman), Videl was all he had left now.

"Dad," Videl said, peering down at the ground below. "Is it me, or are those two guys glowing?"

Hercule frowned. The jet-copter was mostly on autopilot (Capsule Corp tech at its finest: you can't beat it), so he peered down at the ground where she indicated. To his astonishment, a pair of men were on the ground. Both seemed to have blonde hair, and both seemed to be glowing, like she said.

Hercule said, "Probably a trick or something. I dunno, a hologram, or maybe they're filming a movie down there." He had heard stories of previous Tenkai'ichi Budokais, where blasts of energy were used, but he reckoned those were tricks used to make it look better. And that Demon King Piccolo guy had weapons caches concealed, and…

Suddenly, a ball of light was fired by the taller figure (from his hands!) at the shorter figure. The shorter figure, with contemptuous ease, swatted it away…towards their jet-copter.

"Shit!" Hercule yelled, disabling the autopilot and preparing to swerve the jet-copter away. Trick or not, he wasn't going to take any chances. "Hold on, sweetie!"

But he was too late. Just as he began to swerve the jet-copter away from the ball, it struck. Thankfully, only a glancing blow. But whatever it was disabled one of the engines, and sent the jet-copter spinning to the ground…

* * *

Goku watched what happened in horror, as the ki blast Vegeta deflected hit the jet-copter. As it spiralled to the ground, Vegeta snarled, "Eyes on me, Kakarrot!"

Goku spun around, and sent Vegeta sprawling, dazed, with an angry punch. He wasn't going to waste any more words on Vegeta. People needed help, and he had wasted enough time on Vegeta. He could feel Cell's ki elsewhere, but at the moment, these people needed help immediately.

As the jet-copter hit the ground, it thankfully didn't explode. As Goku reached it, he tore the door open. A man with a thick black afro style and a long moustache was struggling with a dark-haired girl, about Gohan's age. Both looked injured, but the girl looked like she had some sort of head injury, and was unconscious.

"Get away from my daughter!" the man yelled.

"I'm sorry!" Goku yelled. "I'm trying to help!" He pulled the two of them out before the man could protest. "Are you all right?"

"No thanks to you, blondie!" the man snarled. He then stared in horror behind Goku. "Behind you!"

Goku turned to find Vegeta flying at him. Without any thought, he grabbed onto the man and his daughter, and used Instant Transmission. He'd have to get to the others later…

* * *

Gohan was catching up with Dende, trying very hard not to concentrate too much on the world below, because if he did, he would succumb to temptation, and try to help his father, or else Bulma (he could feel Cell's ki at Capsule Corp, though it seemed strangely doubled), and end up getting killed in the process. He felt his grandfather go Super Saiyan.

He was, understandably, surprised when his father, still in his Super Saiyan state and looking somewhat the worse for wear, suddenly appeared in the distinctive flicker of Instant Transmission. And he had company. A tall, muscled man with an afro and moustache, and a girl about his age, with black hair done in twin pigtails. Both looked injured, though the girl was unconscious.

"Hey, where the hell are we?!" the man demanded. "How the hell did you do that?! Impressive trick, blondie, but we need to get Videl to a hospital!"

"We've got something better!" Goku said. "Dende!"

The small Namekian nodded, and rushed over. "Please, sir, I can heal her. Lay her down on the floor, gently."

The man stared incredulously at Dende, before Goku said, "Please! Dende can heal your daughter's injuries. I promise you that. It's partly my fault she got injured, Mr…?"

The man gently laid the girl down on the floor, but frowned. "You don't know who I am? Mr Satan? The winner of the latest Tenkai'ichi Budokai?"

"Oh. No, actually. Sorry, Mr Satan. I'm Son Goku. I also won the Tenkai'ichi Budokai."

Mr Satan blinked. "Wait, what? Ha ha, good joke, pal, but I saw a pic of Son Goku once. And he had black hair, not blonde."

Goku's hair reverted to normal, with Mr Satan staring. "Sorry, I was just in my Super Saiyan transformation."

Meanwhile, the girl was waking up, just as Dende finished his ministrations. "Dad?" she asked, sitting up. There was still blood on her, but her cuts and bruises had healed. "What the heck happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Mr Satan demanded. "What were you and that other punk doing having your fracas where anyone could get hurt?!"

"Please," Mr Popo said, "calm down. You are currently on the Lookout of Kami, and given its height above the surface, there is less air to breathe here than normal. You may pass out if you stress while unaccustomed to it. And Goku was trying to find out what happened to his friends. Vegeta, the one he was fighting, has allied himself with a man called Dr Gero."

Now this got through to Mr Satan. "Dr Gero? That mad scientist I saw the trial for a while back? That whackjob? The one who worked with the Red Ribbon Army?"

"Yeah," Lapis said. "The pointy-haired shortarse you saw Goku fighting broke him out. And you've probably seen news of people disappearing out of their clothes. Gero's responsible for that, too."

Mr Satan gaped. So too did his daughter. After a moment Mr Satan's mouth became set in a grim expression. "So that was an accident? You firing that weird light ball and that other guy deflecting it?"

"Yes. I'm sorry," Goku said.

Mr Satan looked down at his daughter, who seemed to be fine, before looking at Goku. "You helped my daughter, so I guess we're good. But what was that light ball thing? What was the trick to that? Holograms? Some sort of plasma weapon from Capsule Corp or something?"

"Um, no," Gohan said. "That was ki."

"Ki?" Mr Satan blinked. "You mean, like, that life-force thing? But that's bull!"

Goku opened his mouth to object, before his eyes widened. "Sorry guys, gotta go. I can feel that! Bulma and the others are in danger!" With that, he pressed his index and middle finger to his forehead, and vanished.

After a moment, Gohan said, "Sorry about my dad. He does that. What kind of name is Mr Satan, anyway?"

At first, Mr Satan seemed set to bluster, before he decided not to. He was talking to a kid about his daughter's age, after all. "It's a stage name. My real name's Mark Hercule. And this is my daughter, Videl."

"Hey," Videl said with a smile.

"I'm Son Gohan," Gohan said, returning her smile. "That's Lapis, and that's Mr Popo. Oh, and this is Dende. If you're wondering why he's green, he's from another world called Namek."

After a moment, Hercule and Videl seemed to think, simultaneously, _Just roll with it_. "So, what're you doing up here, Gohan?" Videl asked out of curiosity.

"Training," Gohan said. "There's a special training room here that we're waiting for my grandma and a couple of friends of ours to finish using. We're trying to make sure we're strong enough to beat Gero and one of his creations. That was the thing that attacked those people."

"Long story short, it also wants me and my sister," Lapis said. "Gero kidnapped us and turned us both into cyborgs, but Goku and his merry little band got us out. Problem is, he left a nasty surprise behind."

"…Why do I get the feeling it'd be a heck of a long story if you elaborated?" Hercule asked.

"Because it is," Lapis said, smirking.

* * *

Flying through the skies towards Korin's Tower, 16 made his way to his goal. After Gero had gotten back to Capsule Corp with Cell and the hostages in tow, his creator sent him on his way, telling him to retrieve his fellow Androids from the Lookout, or at least one of them.

A small part of him that Gero's hack couldn't suppress was screaming at him from within, that this was wrong, that he shouldn't do this. 16 ignored it. He was doing his creator's will. That was all that mattered. And none would stand in his way…

 **CHAPTER 16 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, we've got the intros of Hercule and Videl. I have to admit, I didn't actually intend to introduce them until much later: Hercule during the Cell Games, of course, and Videl towards the end of the story. But I had this little notion of introducing them sooner. At first, I thought of them somehow being close to Capsule Corp as the others fight, but I decided that, contrived though it is, they were flying home and happened to be flying near where Goku and Vegeta was. Contrived, yes, but it'll work, I think.**

 **Plus, I want to lay some early groundwork for Gohan/Videl, as well as having a more sympathetic Hercule, someone who isn't just a glory hound with a few redeeming features. Oh, he'll still be hopelessly outmatched when it comes to Cell (or most other fighters in this), but he won't be going on and on about tricks. Not as loudly and fervently, anyway. Here, I wanted to show his concern for his daughter, first and foremost. He's not yelling at Gohan to stay away because they're not yet in their teens, so he shouldn't have to worry about any potential romance yet. And he's still bemused by everything that's happened. Ki blasts destroying his jet-copter, Instant Transmission, his daughter being healed by a mini-Piccolo…guy's going through quite a bit.**

 **The next chapter will be quite a while, though. Seriously, I'm surprised at how many I managed to squeeze out.**

 **1\. Shuskwa is a variation on squash (in Japanese syllables, it would be su-ku-wa-shu, though squash in Japanese, or at least pumpkin, is actually** ** _kabocha_** **), continuing the whole vegetable name pun of the Saiyans.**

 **2\. Cold Lightning means Super Saiyan 2, while the others are respectively Super Saiyan 3, 4, and the two Super Saiyan God states.**


	18. Chapter 17: Only a Plank Between One and

**CHAPTER 17:**

 **ONLY A PLANK BETWEEN ONE AND PERDITION**

When Goku appeared in front of Capsule Corporation, it was sheer bedlam. His father had gone Super Saiyan, and was fighting off Dr Gero, brawling in the street in front of the dome-shaped building. Thankfully, there seemed to be some sort of evacuation going on, and Bardock had enough presence of mind to keep the fight confined to a single area. Meanwhile, in the sky…were those _two Cells_ brawling?!

"Kakarrot! Little help?" Bardock yelled, breaking Goku out of his reverie.

"Bulma and the others, where are they?" Goku demanded.

"Probably running for their lives! I saw Bulma running off to get her Trunks, the baby one. Kakarrot, they were going to use your wife and friends as hostages! Gero here hacked 16 and sent him to the Lookout!"

"WHAT?!" Goku yelped.

It was at that point that Gero managed to catch Bardock with a blow that sent him reeling. "There's a time for talking, and a time for fighting!"

Goku promptly went Super Saiyan, and smashed Gero to the ground. "Take your own advice, Gero! I've had enough of you trying to come after my loved ones! You leave them out of this!"

Gero sneered as he got back to his feet. "Leave them out of this, Son Goku? Bulma, Yamcha, Roshi, Krillin, they all helped interfere in Red Ribbon plans. You stood in the way of progress, of making sure that there is order and progress in the world! Do you think yourself virtuous? YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN UNTHINKING, BRUTISH RELIC OF A SPECIES WHOSE TIME IS LONG SINCE PAST! YOU MADE ME AND MINE SUFFER IN THE YEARS SINCE THE RED RIBBON ARMY'S FALL, AND YOUR FAMILY AND YOU WILL SUFFER FOR IT."

Goku glared at Gero. "I heard your commanding officer wanted the Dragonballs for one thing: to make himself taller. He ordered the deaths of innocent lives, tortured them, thrown the lives of his own men away, just to make himself taller."

"Commander Red was a fool," Gero sneered. "He refused to accept who held the real power in his army. Neither did Staff Officer Black. _I_ was the Red Ribbon Army. I still am. And Saiyans have no place in _my_ world."

He was smashed to the side by a Riot Javelin from Bardock. "Maybe not, but we're here, and you're little more than a senile brain in a tin can," Bardock sneered. He looked at Goku. "Kakarrot, are you going to save Lapis and Lazuli from 16?"

"Gohan's up there," Goku said. "And he's got more potential than you realise."

"Then he will die," Gero said as he got to his feet. "You killed my son, Son Goku, while you were destroying the Red Ribbon Army's base(1). You took my son, and I will take yours, along with interest."

"If he was one of the Red Ribbon Army…he killed other people. That's a rather short-sighted view, isn't it?" Goku retorted.

"For the greater good, Son Goku, not that I would expect a monkey-tailed brute to understand higher concepts!"

He was sent flying by yet another Riot Javelin, with Bardock remarking, "Weren't you the one going on about a time for talking and a time for fighting, you old asshole?"

Gero sneered as he got back to his feet. "True…but I have an advantage you do not. My Android body does not tire, especially as I used the perpetual generator I designed. You, on the other hand, may be a Super Saiyan…but you're flesh and blood. I only need to wear you down in a war of attrition."

"Assuming we were equally matched, and I didn't have my son to back me up," Bardock retorted. "Kakarrot, ready to help me turn the man in a can with a plan into Spam?"

Goku nodded. He needed to deal with this quickly, though, just in case Gohan and Lapis couldn't deal with 16…

* * *

The present Cell caught his rather more ugly counterpart in a grapple. He had to admit, he was having a rather harder time of it than he should have, especially now that he had reached Perfection. He realised that Bulma had forcefully accelerated his growth in trying to get someone who could match his ugly twin, but that came at a cost. While his doppelganger hadn't reached Perfection, he had absorbed the lifeforce of what had to be at least hundreds of normal people, if not thousands, and he had gone through the normal gestation process. Whereas the present Cell had been granted the power which forced his evolution.

Part of Cell cursed Bulma for forcing the process through. But this actually caused Cell to think. If this was Perfection, and he wasn't that much stronger than his counterpart, then that meant there was considerable room for improvement. And that excited the parts within him that came from the Saiyans. Battling, improving one's self, that was the _raison d'etre_ for a Saiyan.

Part of him came to a conclusion. Perfection didn't mean that he was the ultimate being per se. Rather, it was the first step along such a path. In any case, Perfection was a term indoctrinated into him by Doctor Gero, and if Gero had meant to make him suffer through such an ugly-looking body before achieving Perfection, then he wasn't exactly an authority on what Perfection entailed.

The present Cell then wondered, why didn't Gero make Cell into his Perfect form in the first place? Why make him reliant on the absorption of Androids 17 and 18 to achieve his final state? Absorbing lifeforce from humans was all very well in bringing up the levels of ki, but absorbing two Androids? Why not make it so after a certain level of ki was absorbed, he would elevate his state?

His uglier counterpart lashed out with his tail, and the present Cell broke the grapple to grab onto the tail, squeezing down hard. "GAAAH! WHY THE TAIL?!" the ugly Cell snarled.

"Because I'm not going to let you drink me," the present Cell hissed. "You couldn't afford the price, my dear, uglier double."

"Why the hell are you defending them?!" the ugly Cell snapped. "They have done nothing for you!"

"They let me reach Perfection. Call it a whim," the present Cell said. "Besides, like I said, my malformed sibling, you offend me."

"Oh, cry me a…GAAAAAAH!" the ugly Cell howled as the present Cell ripped off the tail. He then glared at the present Cell. "You do know…I'm going to regrow that, right?"

"Of course. Doesn't stop it from being painful, does it?" the present Cell said with a smirk. "Or from reducing your ki. If you give up now, I'll make your death only moderately painful. Just a Kamehameha strong enough to turn you into ashes. Even our regeneration has limits."

"True. But your power is not that far above mine, which makes this more of a war of attrition," the uglier Cell said, grinning painfully with his beak-like mouth. "And you know what? That's fine by me. Because sooner or later, the cavalry will arrive. Can't you sense that ki coming our way at rapid speed? Vegeta's coming, and he's not at all happy about Goku leaving that battle with him…"

* * *

Hercule and Videl looked at Gohan, Dende, Popo and Lapis as if they had gone insane. "So…ki's actually a thing?" Hercule asked. "That's how Piccolo and your dad fought at the Tenkai'ichi Budokai?"

Gohan nodded. "It takes time and practise to draw it out properly, but you're already a well-trained martial artist, Hercule. With time and patience and the right training, you could."

"I could even fly?" Hercule asked. There was a strange, almost child-like air to the question, as if Hercule had briefly glimpsed Santa, and was still trying to make up his mind whether he was truly real, and hoping that was the case.

"Yes. But we'll have to wait until this mess with Cell is over," Gohan said. "What about you, Videl?"

"I've been doing some martial arts training for a little while," Videl said. "Probably nowhere near Tenkai'ichi Budokai level, but I'd be able to hospitalise a mugger."

"She's Daddy's little angel," Hercule said proudly. He walked over to the edge of the Lookout, and looked down. "Learning that ki is real, that there's some sort of Guardian looking over Earth, that there are aliens walking amongst us…puts things into perspective, doesn't it?" he remarked, surprisingly solemnly for the boisterous man.

"I think it's cool!" Videl said, smiling.

Even as Gohan, Dende and Lapis smiled back at the dark-haired girl, they couldn't fail to hear the apprehension in Hercule's tone when he suddenly spoke up. "Hey, are you guys expecting anyone? Only, there's some punk in green armour flying our way!"

Before they could react, Hercule leapt to the side as Android 16 flew up, and then landed on the Lookout. "16?!" Lapis demanded. "What're you doing here?"

"17, I need you to come with me, urgently," 16 said. "There's trouble at Capsule Corp."

Lapis frowned. "And since when did you call me 17? I thought we got you to kick that habit months ago."

"Where's 18?" 16 said, ignoring Lapis' remarks.

"Training with Trunks and Gine." Lapis folded his arms. "And I've got the sneaking suspicion you didn't come all the way up here to say hello."

16 glared at him, and advanced, only to suddenly spasm and convulse, his hands going to his head. Then, his expression changed, becoming full of a fear that was almost never on the stoic Android's face. "Lapis, Gohan! Get these people and hide! Gero hacked me! I won't be able to hold off his programming for much longer! He wants to help Cell reach Perfection!"

Gohan dashed in front of 16, before he looked at Lapis. "It's you he wants! If he gets you, it's over! I'll hold him off!"

"Gohan, he's stronger than you!" Lapis snarled. "I ain't gonna let you fight 16 alone! You'll die if I leave you!"

"We'll ALL die if you don't!" Gohan snarled(2). 16 then swatted him aside, Hercule catching him.

"You will come with me," 16 intoned, advancing on Lapis, his internal struggle over, and Gero's control back in place. "Your willingness is unnecessary."

Gohan wiped the blood from his mouth, before he nodded his thanks to Hercule. "D'you think you can do a Fastball Special?" he asked.

Hercule, after a moment, smiled. "Sure, kid! Windup…and the pitch!" And with that, he hurled Gohan as hard as he could.

Now, Hercule, in terms of strength, was nowhere near the level of the Saiyans and their immediate compatriots. But he was still an extremely strong man by human standards, and the speed boost Gohan had at the beginning of his trajectory, enhanced by Gohan letting loose a burst of ki, fuelled by his anger, to fly at speed, meant that Gohan was heading towards 16 at quite a lick of speed.

In one of those moments of slow-motion clarity that seemed to lend speed to thoughts, Gohan thought, _This seems oddly familiar. Big tall armoured guy with a weird hairdo, and I'm about to tackle him at high speed. Oh yeah, this is a bit like when I got angry and attacked Raditz_.

16, however, saw him coming, and grabbed Gohan, using Gohan's momentum to fling the part-Saiyan away, overshooting the Android. But Gohan, to his credit, did a high-speed turn in mid-air, and, as he swooped down on 16, brought his hands together over his head. "MASENKO!" he yelled, firing the ki blast.

As the ki blast detonated, enveloping 16 in a cloud of dust, Gohan flew right into the cloud, bullrushing 16, and sending the Android flying over the edge of the Lookout. He then looked at Lapis. "Go find Grandma and Trunks! Get them to come out, and you stay with Lazuli for as long as you can! We need their help now!"

"Kid, I'm not leaving you to beat 16!" Lapis snapped. "We've got a better chance of stopping 16 together!"

Gohan felt a surge of frustration at Lapis' recalcitrance. As much as he appreciated the Android's loyalty and willingness to help, 16 would be able to snatch Lapis with little trouble. The green-armoured Android was easily the most powerful of them, even if the gap between strength had been narrowed. "Lapis, Grandma and Trunks will have a better chance! Now do…"

"ROCKET PUNCH!" Suddenly, Gohan's head exploded into a dark void filled with stars rushing at him, and he skidded along the tiles of the Lookout, ending up near Videl and Dende, the latter quickly beginning to heal them.

The small part of Gohan's brain that remained lucid after that blow to the head noted that he must have a concussion at the very least. The world shouldn't be spinning quite that much. Distantly, he heard the sound of battle between Lapis and 16, and that small lucid part urged Dende to heal him faster. He needed to get up, he needed to be up, he needed to save Lapis!

However, as the fog cleared from Gohan's mind, he saw 16 smash Lapis across the Lookout. Lapis struggled to get to his feet, and failed. 16 stormed over, picked Lapis up in both hands, and then smashed Lapis' back over his knee. Lapis gargled a scream of agony, before passing out.

16 picked up Lapis, and placed him over his back like a sack of produce, before looking at Gohan. "If 18 wishes to stop me, then I will be waiting at Capsule Corp." And with that, he flew off the Lookout.

It took every bit of self-control Gohan had not to tear off after 16. 16 and Lapis couldn't be tracked by ki sensing, and 16 was still too strong. Instead, he looked at Mr Popo. "We need to tell the others in the Time Chamber."

Popo nodded, and they ran for the Time Chamber. Gohan hoped that his father would finish off what he was doing soon. Or maybe Goku could intercept 16 and Lapis before Cell could get his hands on Lapis. But even so, this was a disaster, and one they needed to deal with.

If only they knew how…

 **CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Okay. Well, first things' first. Sorry about this chapter taking such a long time. Inspiration was considerably lacking, and it was only sheer luck that I managed to find enough to do this one. And let's be frank, you probably will be waiting a while for new chapters.**

 **But let me make this clear. Demanding or asking for new chapters in reviews or PMs is more likely to turn me off doing more. This may seem odd, but I don't like extra pressure being put on me, and I write at my own pace. Having people ask for or demand new chapters just pressures me and shuts my creativity down. It's great that you guys enjoy my story, don't get me wrong. I'm glad** ** _Mater Familias_** **is loved (in fact, as of writing, it's now got two entries on Tropes Pages on TV Tropes: Godzilla Threshold and Sneeze Cut, so thanks to those readers who made those entries!), but the thing is, I write on my own terms. So, please be patient. I know that's a dirty word on the internet, but even so…**

 **Why did I do this here? Well, this seems to be the work (or at least one of them) that gets the most requests for an update outside of my Harry Potter fics. It's gotten to the point where I've placed this on my profile, though something tells me few people actually read it.**

 **Okay, rant over.**

 **Since posting the previous chapter of** ** _Mater Familias_** **, we've had some shakeups in the** ** _Dragonball_** **universe, huh? The Goku Black arc has ended in** ** _Dragonball Super_** **, and the contentious Universal Survival arc is happening.** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **has finally reached the Cell Games proper, and had a hilarious series of shorts featuring Cell versus other anime and video game characters (my personal favourites are the Kenshiro one, the Light Yagami one, and the Ken and Ryu one). And tying both** ** _Dragonball Z_** **and the Abridged Series together, I recently learned that Team Four Star actually make an appearance in the 're-enactment' film of the Cell Games in the Majin Buu Saga for** ** _Dragonball Z Kai_** **. Hell, hearing Takahata101's Nappa voice from the faux-Hercule was hilarious in the clip posted online.**

 **Oh, and I've posted another** ** _Dragonball Z_** **story:** ** _Super Saiyan Saviour_** **, a crossover with** ** _Undertale_** **. It's still in fairly early stages, though.**

 **Now, back to the story. I always intended 16 to be fighting back from within, albeit unable to succeed. I hope you guys liked what I did there.**

 **1\. What happened to Gero's son in** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **was too appealing not to integrate into the story. I thought it a great spur for Gero's revenge.**

 **2\. Lapis and Gohan are echoing Grace and the Doctor's desperate lines from the 1996** ** _Doctor Who_** **telemovie.**


End file.
